


Sweet Shop

by Toast_Senpai



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drama, Drug Use, Fantasy elements, Human Names, M/M, Sexual Content, a touch of magic, there's some plot in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-10
Updated: 2011-05-10
Packaged: 2018-05-28 16:42:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6337000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toast_Senpai/pseuds/Toast_Senpai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur decides to visit a little shop because Francis says it's a great escape from boring every day life. Turns out the frog was right. For once.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Arthur pushed open the tinted glass door. The shop he had walked into had walls painted black, nothing in the room except a chair in the middle, and a door at the very back.

“Hello?”

His call echoed lightly, and he wondered why he had come here again.

Ah, what was it? Oh yes. His life was quite dull, and Francis had said this was definitely the place to go if he needed a boost. He didn’t like listening to Francis’s advice, but the other had said this place could make you really feel what it was like to just live.

Suddenly the door at the back opened and a cheery brunet came prancing out, along with a stern looking blond. Both men walked over to him and pointed at the seat.

“Sit down, please! Are you ready to know the meaning of living?” asked the brunet.

Arthur frowned, wondering what all this was about. But he gingerly sat down on the chair and placed his hands in his lap. He still had a few questions though.

“Umm…What about payment? I want to know how much it’s going to be. Also, what exactly are you going to be doing? I don’t really get it…I just came here because a friend told me.”

The smaller man smiled.

“A new comer! Well, my name is Feliciano, and this is Ludwig! This is our shop. We make it so that you get a day off, so to speak. You’ll be taken to a fabulous place, like a vacation! But when time runs out, you’ll be returned to your everyday life. Don’t worry, if you want to go back, then you can! Just remember that it’s a temporary escape. You don’t want to get…. let’s say, carried away!”

Ludwig rolled his eyes and went back to the other room to get something. Feliciano continued to smile at him, and it was getting kind of creepy. Arthur still didn’t know what was going on. He opened his mouth to ask something else when his arm was picked up in a warm grip by Feliciano. Ludwig had come back and now handed his accomplice a piece of cotton.

Arthur got goose bumps from the cold swab. This kind of felt like he was getting a shot…

Feliciano giggled quietly before stabbing a long needle into his arm. The sharp prick made Arthur look down in time to see a vile containing rainbow liquid that shimmered get pumped into his body.

The heat was immediate. It started tingling from where the needle had pierced and traveled everywhere else. His head swam and everything started to spin with flashing colors. He closed his eyes, but it was there too. He faintly heard Feliciano say, “Have a nice trip! See you when you get back! We’ll discuss payment when you return!”

Then it went dark.

* * *

He woke up in his room, which was odd. There was also something different about everything….

Wait! He got it. Everything was flipped.

Like his dresser used to be on the right, but now it was on the left. Along with the switching, there was a rainbow glow around everything, making it seem all too pleasant.

Arthur got up and found that he was dressed in a beautiful deep green silk shirt and soft jeans. He didn’t understand but went with it and left his house.

Outside there was a sun, but it was, dare he say it, one giant circle rainbow. The few scattered clouds were pink and looked almost like…cotton candy…

“Arthur!”

He turned at the sound of his name, seeing someone he didn’t know. The man was tall, blond, had glasses, and was smiling hugely. Arthur frowned a bit, but waited for the other to get closer.

“Umm, hello. Who might you be? And how do you know my name?”

The blond chuckled and placed a hand on Arthur’s shoulder.

“I’m Alfred. Your personal slave. Unless you want to change my name? I am whatever you want. Ah, unless you wanted a girl? Though your mind said a man…”

Arthur blushed and pushed the hand off.

“What in the Queen’s name are you going on about? I don’t know who you think you are-”

“I said I’m Alfred! Oh yea, you like fairies right? Here, I’ll put on some wings!”

In the blink of an eye huge, sparkling blue butterfly wings were on Alfred’s back. They slowly opened and closed.

Arthur stared, transfixed. Where the hell was he? In some sort of dream land? That’s it, he must be dreaming…

He reached over to his arm and was about it pinch down when he saw it. A little rainbow swirl about the size of a quarter. Right where he had received that shot in that store…

His eyes flicked over to the grinning man in front of him. An escape? Was this…Where was this?

“Ah, Alfred was it…where am I?”

“Wherever you want to be.”

Arthur looked around him and saw that he was right outside his house. So wherever he wanted to be…? He closed his eyes and thought about… Japan? Busy Tokyo?

The hand on his shoulder was back and he opened his eyes. They widened impossibly at the site around him.

It was a busy Tokyo. Random people, honking cars, bright lights, and signs all over flashing the language he didn’t know. And all the time that odd sun stayed shining.

Arthur sighed and turned to Alfred, who was looking at him with a winning smile.

“So… this isn’t a dream?”

“Hmm, not really…I don’t particularly know what it is. I’m just here for you, that’s all.”

Arthur nodded and closed his eyes again. This time he thought about a nice beach.

When he opened his eyes a warm breeze was hitting his face, ruffling his hair. And by God the ocean was a fucking mix of colors. It was beautiful.

Arthur sat down, practically collapsing. No wonder Francis had said this place was amazing. It was. It was like a dream, and it probably was, but it was a surreal one.

Alfred slid down into the sand beside him and grabbed his arm, snuggling into his side. Arthur shook his arm lightly, trying to make the other get off.

“What are you doing? I don’t even know you-”

“I’m just doing my job. This is what you like, right? Romantic times on the beach?”

For the second time Arthur blushed. How did Alfred know that? That was something he kept secret…

“Look… I, ah…really appreciate it, but maybe you can just lay off for now? Later, um…”

He really didn’t know what to say. What was there to say? Sure he could…do some things if he wanted…and now he was starting to sound like Francis. That damn perverted frog probably told him about that place because he thought he needed to get laid. So what if he only got some once in a while. He didn’t want to turn into a Francis, fucking everything that moved.

There was a whine that made him snap out of his thoughts.

“Arthur, stop thinking. Let’s do something fun.”

He glanced down and saw Alfred laying between his legs. Arthur tried to think of something to say, but he couldn’t as he watched Alfred’s hands run up his thighs and to the button on his trousers. Again he tried to open his mouth, but suddenly everything was turning warm…and even arousing. Like there was something in the air that had him getting horny.

Alfred grinned and licked his lips. Damn did he look good down there.

Arthur tried to shake his head clear of his thoughts, but they stayed and his trousers were getting way too tight and Alfred’s hand started rubbing and he was losing it…

“Let go…you’re free here…even if only for a day…Tell me what to do…”

Arthur bit his lip and looked down into Alfred’s lusty blue gaze.

“S-suck me off.”

Alfred nodded and undid the button, then zipper. He didn’t pull the pants completely off, just enough because he didn’t want sand to get everywhere. Arthur vaguely noticed that he wasn’t wearing any underwear before wet heat covered his dick and sucked. Alfred took him in easy, but that was because he could, that’s what Arthur wanted. And here, what Arthur wants, Arthur gets.

He came way too fast, the sensation an overload. He swore there was something in the air that made him extra sensitive.

Alfred pulled away, licking his lips clean. Arthur just realized that the big butterfly wigs were still attached to Alfred’s back, only smaller. He smiled at the sight of them.

Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad…

* * *

He didn’t feel hungry, tired, nothing taxing on his body at all. Only that light afterglow of orgasm. He and Alfred walked along the beach, kicking the sand and playing tag with the odd water. This was nice. It really was an escape.

The rainbow sun was starting to set though, dipping lower and turning the sky a plum color. Arthur wondered how long he had until this dream ended.

“Hey, Arthur. What you want to do now?”

He looked at Alfred, noticing the other was holding his hand. What did he want to do? Anything, he could do anything but he could think of nothing in particular. Well, there was something but…

He closed his eyes and imagined a nice grassy hill overlooking a flat field. He threw in some fireworks too. When he heard a loud whistle then pop and opened his eyes, the bright flashes sparkling. He sat with Alfred on the hill and watched for a little while. Then he turned to the other and got bold, convincing himself that this was only a dream so he could do what he wanted.

Alfred let his face be turned in the soft grip, perfect lips coming in contact with Arthur’s.

Finally he was getting the kiss he wanted, even though it was corny and kiddish. Alfred was pretty much the man he had wanted for a long time now. So, he let himself fall into the dream and forget about everything else. Just Alfred and the fireworks and now a strange glittery moon that was rising.

* * *

Then he woke up and he was back in that chair in that room, Feliciano staring at him with this huge, dare he say adorable, smile.

“Welcome back! So how did you like it? Have fun?”

Arthur blinked several times and looked about, seeing the same room and the same two people.

“It was…nice.”

He made to get up, but Feliciano pushed him back lightly.

“Now, about your payment…”

Arthur nodded and relaxed back. He wondered how much it would cost. He only had seventy pounds on him.

“Hmm I think that…Since it’s your first time…one memory from last week would be sufficient! But make it a good one, or I’ll have to take a nice one by force!”

…What? A memory? Things didn’t quite make any sense here.

“You’re telling me that the payment you want is a memory? Like say, the really good one night stand I just had on Sunday?”

Feliciano laughed.

“If that’s something you like to remember, then yes. Anything you hold close and enjoy looking back on. That is the payment.”

Arthur didn’t really care about that memory anymore. As long as he didn’t have to pay cash.

“Well, okay. Take it then, it’s yours.”

Feliciano nodded and looked at Ludwig, who gently took Arthur’s head in his hands and rubbed lightly at his temples. It was actually kind of soothing. Feliciano held a bottle ready and a bright red light slowly filled it. Ludwig let go and took the bottle away from Feliciano.

“Thank you for coming! If you need another escape, just come back! But remember, prices go up a little each time! Goodbye.”

Arthur stood up and walked to the door. If that was all the payment was, a memory (which he couldn’t remember what he had given up, or what he had done Sunday night) then he would have to come here more often.

For once, maybe Francis had given him some good advice.


	2. Chapter 2

Like any other good working citizen of Britain, Arthur hated his job. He just grouped his hate into a whole because while he loved the place he worked but hated the people who he had to deal with.

He was a librarian at one of the local schools. It was a fantastic job, being around so many books. They had asked if he wanted to work at a school with small children and he said no. The books would have been filled with color pages and how to count. That wasn’t something he wanted to look at everyday.

So he went to a high school, where the books were filled with much more knowledge than the teenagers could carry. But the thing was, he really didn’t enjoy working with teenagers. They were rude, the girls always hit on him, and the guys just loved switching around the order of the books.

Yet, just being around so many leather bound pieces of information and stories had him smiling every day he walked into the library. Which made the girls pull up their skirts just a little higher, and their shirts a little lower. He ignored them, focusing on the books, and the books alone.

Today was just another one of those days. He’d sit at the desk and wait for students to check out books, then when school got out he’d collect the ones returned and put them back on their proper shelves. In the meantime, while it was beautifully quiet, he would pick out a good book and just _read_. It was fabulous.

But first he had to go pick out a good book to read. He was hoping to find a good one about pirates (he loved fantasy as much as history) and went over to the fiction section. Today was turning out to be a nice slow day, not very many students were in the library studying, being it a Monday, and so he had a lot of time to himself.

He scanned old books, finger tips lightly running over their spines. A plain black book with faded red letters called out to him. He gently picked it up and read the cover.   
_The Red Rover_. Arthur smiled. A classic by Cooper, just what he needed.

Just as he turned around his shoulder bumped into something, causing him to stumble back. Arthur blinked and opened his mouth to say he was sorry.

It was Alfred.

Or someone who looked a lot like him. Same blond hair, blue eyes, and glasses. Arthur stared in disbelief, mouth hanging open quite unattractively. The man in front of him stared at him in disgust.

“Watch where you’re going, old man.”

Arthur’s mouth snapped shut. He was _not_ an old man! He was twenty-three, and even though his hair was a light blond, he looked nothing like some old man. Just as he was about to give the guy a piece of his mind, the History teacher appeared at the end of the shelves.

“Alfred, what are you doing over here? I told you to get me a map of China, not a fiction novel. You have been gone for nearly twenty minutes. Get back to class.”

Alfred rolled his eyes, trudging towards to exit of the library.

“What ever you say, Roderich.”

The teacher huffed and followed after his student.

“It’s _Mr. Edelstein_ to you!”

Arthur watched them go, vaguely recalling that he had probably seen Alfred before, but never noticed the other. Until now. The similarities were too similar though. How had this same exact person appeared in…whatever it was that he had went to? It was actually kind of creepy…

Arthur went back to the check out desk and sat down on the hard stool he had to deal with every day. It was just too weird. But then again that shop was weird to begin with. Plus this real Alfred kid was a pretty ignorant guy.

His long fingers gently opened the book to the first page, but his eyes didn’t look at it. They were staring off, trying to find the connection between the real Alfred and his dream land one. Was it just a coincidence? He would have to ask the next time he went.

Bu when was he going to go next? It had been extremely pleasant, but that Feliciano guy had said that the price went up with each go. Oh yeah, he just remembered something. Arthur pulled up the sleeve of his sweater and looked at his arm. There was nothing there. The rainbow swirl tattoo was gone, along with any indication that he had had a needle shoved into his skin.

He let his sleeve fall back into place, once again puzzled and intrigued at what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

“So, did you go?”

Francis was visiting him for lunch just outside the school at a popular café that was filled with students. Ah, he forgot to mention that it was indeed Francis’s café. Arthur didn’t care too much. He usually got a discount. That is, if he ever came, which was rarely. He didn’t like seeing too much of Francis.

He had grown up with the guy, having a constant friend-enemy relationship. The only one to go to the same high school and graduate with, Francis was still his friend. One of his only friends. He didn’t care all that much for other people. No one really shared his interests.

“Oi! Did you go or not?”

Arthur was brought back, ears filling with the noise of the hustle and bustle around him. Francis stared, waiting for an answer.

“Yes, I went.” The turquoise eyes continued to stare at him without blinking. Arthur hesitantly went on. “It was…okay? Very odd, to say the least. The payment method is pretty silly too. I mean, memories? I bet that rainbow stuff costs a fortune. How do they pay for it?”

Francis let out a laugh. That was Arthur for you, always worrying about the price of something. He picked up his teacup and took a sip. He knew it was a good idea to recommend that place to Arthur.

“I see. What did you do while you were away? Have any fun?”

Arthur’s face turned scarlet. How did he know Francis would ask that kind of question.

“As a matter of fact I did. That’s all I’m going to say. It’s none of your business… Ah… And thank you… for telling me about that place…”

Francis’s mouth broke into a smile, eyes sparkling.

“I am such a good friend, no? So, when are you going back? I need to return soon myself.”

Arthur shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe sometime in the near future. Oh yeah, I have a question-”

Their table shook suddenly as slender hands grasped it tightly. Both men looked at the brunet who had almost fallen over.

“Ah, excuse me Mr. Bonnefoy, but there is a customer who wants to speak with you.”

Francis nodded and stood up.

“Thank you, Toris.”

Arthur watched as Francis left without saying goodbye, not answering his question. He glanced at his watch and decided he had spent enough time at the café.

* * *

It turned out that Arthur went back to the shop much sooner than expected. Why? It couldn’t be because he saw the real Alfred about every day in the library, harassing a student or attempting to collect study materials. Arthur was thankful that the computers had locked sites so that the student couldn’t go looking up porn. He was also always a little too loud, and Arthur hesitated in telling him to be quiet.

Every time he looked at the teen, he remembered back to the things, the not so innocent things he had done with the dream Alfred. He was giving in, the need to go back and talk with the Alfred he preferred was too much.

So, here he was. In front of whatever the shop was even called.

The same door opened, then closed behind him. This time Arthur didn’t call out or look around, just went right for the chair and took a seat. He did jump a little though when Feliciano and Ludwig came up from behind him.

“Welcome! Oh! Back again so soon, Arthur?”

The man just nodded, wanting to hurry this up.

Feliciano kept on his huge smile and picked up Arthur’s arm, and this time the man watched as the designated area was swabbed quickly before the long needle slid in, rainbow glitter in the syringe sloshing around.

He heard a far off “Thanks for coming to The Sweet Shop!”

So that’s what the name of the place was called.

Then the spinning came, and he was back in his escape.

* * *

Alfred appeared before him, all smiles. They were in Arthur’s flipped garden. He told the other to take a seat in one of the available chairs.

“Alfred, can you answer some questions?”

The blond nodded enthusiastically.

“Okay. Is there a real you, like in the real world?”

Silence.

Alfred stared at him, face emotionless. Arthur waited patiently. Maybe it was a hard subject for the other man.

Finally Alfred spoke.

“This is your world. I am here only to serve you. I ah…am trying to answer but not finding anything. Sorry, but I can’t answer that.”

Arthur frowned. Was there some glitch in the system? Maybe this really was just all in his head…

“You’re telling me that you don’t know anything about the real world? You’re just a piece of my imagination? Some toy I get to play with for a day?”

Something flashed in Alfred’s eyes. It was hard to describe and it went away so quickly. Alfred put on a heroic grin and stood.

“I’m whatever you want me to be. Let’s go some place fun!”

He still wasn’t convinced, but Arthur got up and followed Alfred off to wherever he could think off.

* * *

Arthur sat on his hard stool, reading the dim computer screen and clicking through who had returned what books. It was three o’ clock, almost time for school to get out. The library was empty, except for two students. Both Arthur knew, and one he was especially fond of.

The other, not so much. Well, not in this world.

Alfred sat with his feet up on the table as his brother Mathew tried to get him to study. Mathew was such a nice quiet boy, always asking for help and being polite. But Alfred on the other hand…

Arthur wished for the real Alfred to be…oh he didn’t want to say slave (though he sort of did…) but more like his brother.

He must have been looking for a little too long.

“Hey,” Alfred called over to him, “what you staring at? You like me or something, old man?”

Arthur quickly averted his eyes, and damn it he was blushing. He got embarrassed a little too easily. Refraining from answering, Arthur picked up a pile of books and carried them to a cart where he set them down. Still looking away, he rolled the cart over to the science section to put away some of the books.

As he was looking for the right place, he heard Alfred and Mathew arguing over something. He tried not to pay attention.

Just as the last scientific book was put back in its place, Arthur jumped at the feeling of hands on his hips. He heard a breathy chuckle and knew at once it was Alfred.

“I asked you a question, old man. You like me?”

Arthur let out a low growl and spun around, forcefully pushing Alfred away. He didn’t move very far, but it was enough to give Arthur some space. He was going to give this brat a piece of his mind.

“Look here, you! I am _not_ an old man! I’m only five years your senior! And no, I do not like you very much! You are rude and obnoxious and if you don’t want to learn how to be a successful adult, don’t come to school!”

He said some pretty lame things, but nothing really good came to mind. He actually didn’t mind Alfred because he was the exact opposite in his dream land, but that was beside the point. His point was that Alfred needed to grow up.

The younger man in question looked at Arthur for a while, taking in the heavy breathing and wide green eyes.

Arthur was trying to think of something else to say, but Alfred got to it first.

“Okay, I get it. I won’t call you an old man anymore. But…” He spun around, walking back towards his brother. When he was at the table, he called back. “I think you’re lying about the not liking me part!”

Arthur covered his face with his hands. What was he getting himself into?


	3. Chapter 3

He wasn’t that much of a delinquent, he just didn’t like school. Waking up every day at some ungodly hour just to sit and listen to boring old people ramble on about some war or math problem. There was only one perk about coming to school.

Arthur. Arthur Kirkland. Mr. old man. That adorable librarian that he had wanted to push down and ravish ever since he first saw him. He was what Alfred had set his sights on. And now that Arthur had shown just the slightest interest in him, he was going in for the chase, and later on, the kill.

Alfred’s next hour was a study hall, and he would be heading to the library like he did everyday. He planned out that today he would ask for help finding a book, and maybe cop a feel on the older man. Alfred imagined he would do that funny little jump, smack his hands away and blush so hard he looked like a tomato. That was the face he liked most.

He usually didn’t take an interest in older men, but this one stuck out to him. Alfred didn’t know why, but there was _something_ about Arthur. He feared saying ‘magical’ for sounding girly, but that was one of the things he could think of. Plus, Arthur’s love of books was a nice trait. Alfred liked books too. Well, comic books.

When the last the bell rang Alfred walked casually to the library. It was Friday, so the amount of people there would be varied. Hopefully not a lot. He didn’t like when the girls got all mad at him for trying to pursue ‘the only single hottie in the school’. What did they mean only single hottie? He was single and hot! Not that he would ever go out with any of them. They weren’t like Arthur.

Thankfully the library only had a few students at the computers. Alfred mentally grinned and went up to the check out desk, putting on a straight face. Arthur raised a large eyebrow at him, mouth a tight line. Alfred kept his composure even though he wanted to laugh. This was gonna be good.  
  
“Can you help me find a book?”

Arthur turned towards the computer and rested his hands on the keyboard.

“Do you know the name of it?”

Alfred nodded, “It’s a how-to book.”

The emerald eyed man tipped his head, asking for the other to continue after he typed in ‘How to’.

“How to ask a…” Alfred followed on screen as the words were typed in quickly, “librarian out.”  
Arthur’s pinky had hit enter before he caught on and went into a coughing fit.

Alfred let himself go, laughing at the look on Arthur’s face. It was priceless. That blush was back, plus a strangled mix of horror and curiosity.

The laughing subsided and Alfred focused his eyes on the man in front of him.

“So, is it in? Or did someone already check it out?” He glanced at the computer screen, seeing that the search had zero results. Alfred sighed. “Ah, too bad. You’ll have to order that one. I heard it was a good read. Guaranteed to help anyone get with a librarian.”

He watched as Arthur grit his teeth, still burning red. He managed to mumble something. Alfred heard it and continued to smile.

“What was that?”

Arthur squeezed his eyes shut.

“I said you’re a bloody wanker! Stop teasing me! Now get out!”

He made sure to point to the exit, eyes still shut. He didn’t dare open them.

Alfred smirked. Teasing him? Ah huh…

“See ya later, _Arthur!_ ”

The giggly blond walked to the exit, not bothering to look back. He had gotten the reaction he wanted plus a little something more.

Friday’s were awesome. That Rebecca Black chick was right. He was looking forward to the weekend. Time to take it to the next level.

* * *

Arthur told himself to take deep breaths and calm down. It was just some silly teenager messing with him. Now Alfred had the fuel; Arthur had said to stop teasing him, which was a mistake. He was probably going to try something everyday from now on…

He was thankful that in a couple hours he would be free to hide in his house for the weekend. Or go get drunk. Both sounded great. Ah, there was that other thing too.

But he couldn’t. Not that shop again. That ‘Sweet Shop’ as it was called. It was going to give him a cavity. Probably more memory loss too. There were now two pieces from his past that were not there. He had to wait until at least a month before going back, no matter how tempting it was.

That Alfred though…He was starting to see more and more of his dream Alfred in the real one. He must be thinking about the other a lot more than necessary. Which caused him to really want to go back. Arthur knew he shouldn’t. It was going to become like an addiction, some sort of drug that he was going to need his daily dose of if he was teased by Alfred everyday.

Arthur tried to clear his thoughts and went back to his book.

* * *

Okay, so what if he was going to hell. He already was for being gay anyway. Or at least that’s what he told himself.

Arthur stood just outside the dreaded shop. His mind screamed at his body to turn around, go home, and have a nice cup of tea, and maybe a wank later. But whatever he did _do not go back in that shop!_

He knew it was too late though. His hand was on the door, pushing it open, sliding in, breath held. Door closed, all was silent, and he walked over to the chair, sat down.

This time he was prepared for Feliciano’s appearance. But it never came. Instead, Ludwig was the one who walked around to his front, holding that sick vile he needed like a heroin addict. He watched as Ludwig forced a little smile.

“Hello, Arthur. You are back soon. Do you think it’s such wise choice?”

He didn’t want to listen to this. Arthur huffed, then grabbed his sleeve and pulled it up.

“Stick it in. I need to see Alfred.”

Instantly his eyes went wide and mouth dry. Damn it, he had just given away something to some guy he didn’t know. Or even trust all that much.

Arthur had lied earlier when he said he was ready for Feliciano. The Italian sprung up from behind Ludwig and laughed, high and sweet, causing him to jump.

“Arthur! Have you been having a little too much fun with Alfred in your escape? That means you must be stressed. Unless you’re like that Francis guy. He always gives us a detailed report about his day, and let me tell you, it sure is one heck of a day!”

Ludwig frowned and gave a look at Feliciano to shut up. Arthur scoffed in disgust.

“That nasty frog! I don’t know why he has to come here. He has sex every night in the real world, why would he need to go to some dream land?”

Feliciano’s eyes lit up, cute grin stretched on his face. He put his hands together behind his back and rocked on his heels.

“Sometimes what you do in your escape is something you wish to do with someone, but cannot in the real world. That’s why we’re here, trying to let people get what they want, even if it’s just for a day.”

Arthur took in the almost saintly glow of the man in front of him. This was helping people? It sure wasn’t helping him. It was making him an addict. In a month’s time they would probably send him off to rehab.

“Look, I don’t really care, as long as I get to see someone I actually am starting to like. Let’s just get this going, shall we?”

Ludwig nodded and wiped down his arm, being much more careful and going slower than his partner. Arthur was staring to like the sharp pinch of the needle and it punctured his skin. There was always that little pain, then instant weightlessness. It was like getting high in an instant. But that high lasted only a couple seconds because he was in his flipped house, clad in his imagined silky outfit.

Arthur practically ran outside, thinking about Alfred. When the door to his house was closed, the man was standing in front of him. He always thought of Alfred as a little older, a little more handsome, a little more _mature_.

“Hey, Arthur! You’re back really early this time. Miss me?”

Arthur wasted no time, whispering out a quick “God yes” before grabbing the back of Alfred’s head and pushing their lips together. He groaned; how he had missed this! Being able to actually touch this silly boy who always made him hot and angry at the same time.

Alfred responded as he wanted, slipping his tongue in and flicking it around. This Alfred would always be more experienced. But he didn’t want to think about him not being real.

Arthur pulled away, panting. He took his dream’s hand and tugged him towards his house. The went in and Arthur wasted no time imagining them naked. That was a plus side to this place. Think it and it was done. Arthur turned and took in the slightly taller man before him.

He had such tan skin, smooth in some places and rough in others. He didn’t want to think of someone perfect and without flaws. That would make it seem even more like a dream. This Alfred was almost the exact replica of the real one. Same light colored glasses, same sunny hair with that funny piece that stood up in the middle, same glowing Persian blue eyes. Arthur let himself smile warmly and wrapped his thin arms around Alfred’s shoulders, face pressed against his neck.

“You teased me today. That damn library joke. You’re unbelievable.”

It was muffled, but it didn’t matter because he knew Alfred already knew it before he had said it.

“Ha, yeah I did! I’m great at jokes. There’s this one-”

Arthur shut him up with a kiss, leading him to the bed. His mind was kept sharp, not let to wander. It was his greatest tool while here.

He thought of Alfred pushing him down, and it happened. The blankets were soft against his bare back, slightly cool but soaking up his heat. His arms stayed securely wrapped around Alfred, lightly dragging his nails up and down the man’s back. He heard Alfred moan against him, body shaking slightly.

Arthur took in the guilty pleasure of his thoughts. This place was perfect. He thought about lube, relaxed muscles, and an easy go in. He felt Alfred slide in with a groan, heat pulsing hard. By chance he looked down at his arm, and that rainbow swirl had transformed into a heart, glowing a little more pink and spinning so fast it was a whirl of mixed colors. Arthur let out a little laugh at it, but it was soon forgotten.

The man above him started moving his hips, slowly at first, making a smooth rhythm that would transform soon enough. Alfred placed his hands flat on the bed as he felt Arthur wrap his legs tighter around his waist. Their bodies turned slick, and Arthur panted hard below him.

“Faster, you git. Damn…I wish I could…ah!”

He shouldn’t think of the real life and what he wanted to do there; now wasn’t the time. He only got twenty-four hours which felt like only a couple with Alfred and he wanted to make the most of it before.

Alfred did as Arthur had said, hips snapping at a faster rate. Then Arthur imagined those stupid shimmering butterfly wings and there they were, fluttering lightly on Alfred’s back, and he almost came just from that visual.

“Ahh, fuck! I can’t let… my mind… wander off…”

He was losing it slowly, that maddening pace continuing, and damn it, his mind turned worse and he heard the bed start to hit the wall with each thrust. Alfred’s skin took on a glowing glittery effect, and his face suddenly sported some dark curling make-up on his right eye. Arthur really had to stop letting his fairy fetish intervene with sex. But he couldn’t help it, and soon Alfred’s ears had turned slightly pointed and eyes became more almond shaped. The glasses stayed though. He liked those.

It was becoming too much, far more good than it was supposed to be. Arthur pressed up against Alfred, his body tightening and going stiff before he let out a high pitched moan and he was coming, stomach getting covered and he rubbed himself along Alfred, imaging that the other would finish about now, and he did.

He stared at Alfred’s gorgeous face, now back to normal. He couldn’t resist and gave those open lips a quick kiss before relaxing onto the bed. He knew if he fell asleep the dream would end, so he kept his eyes open and watched as Alfred rolled to the side of him, smile on his face.

Alfred didn’t want to get too romantic and corny and go pronouncing that it was the best sex he had ever had, even though it was. It hurt his heart a little to have to see this go, this world that was so perfect. He knew full well now that it was only an escape. But damn it if he was being helped. Feliciano had to be a liar.

Why would people come here to do these things with people they couldn’t have? Why spend all that time loving them in a dream when they could try to get out there and actually live it? Arthur was about to shake his head at those people, when he realised something.

He was one of them.

He was coming here, doing things with Alfred that he wished he could do in real life, but didn’t have to guts do. Plus the real Alfred didn’t really like him, he just liked teasing him. Francis had always said he was easy to rile up.

Arthur sighed and closed his eyes. He was ready to go back. Ready to give up some memory. But that was okay. He would give up all of his memories if he could just make what he had just done real.


	4. Chapter 4

When Arthur opened his eyes he saw that he was back in The Sweet Shop. Feliciano was staring intently at him, expression blank. When he noticed that Arthur was now awake, he smiled and waved Ludwig over.

“I can see it, you had a really good time. Your best. But…you’re hurting. Are you?”

Arthur blushed, but nodded slowly. He really didn’t want to talk to a stranger about his problems, but it was this shop that had caused a few of them.

Ludwig frowned slightly, shaking his head at Feliciano’s words and Arthur’s nod. He didn’t like when Feliciano asked the customers questions. He just wanted to get the payment and be done with it.

“You can tell me, if you want. That’s why I’m here.” Arthur was tempted to spill it all, but he kept it to himself, saying a polite ‘no thanks’. Feliciano hummed in understanding. “Okay, that’s fine! Now, you know the drill. What memory are you giving up? It has to have happened in the last week, from Sunday to today! Pick a tasty one!”

Arthur’s forehead creased in concentration. What had he done recently…nothing really good came to mind. Well, there was his talk with Francis that was of at least a little significance. He voiced to give that up. The Italian smiled and pointed to Ludwig, who took his head carefully. This time his memory was green, a vivid misty color that filled the little vile now in Feliciano’s hand all the way to the top.

Ludwig let go of him and left the room. Feliciano watched him go, pouting slightly.

Arthur paid no mind to the shop owner and stood up, saying his goodbyes. Feliciano told him goodbye as well, and to wait a little longer before coming back next time.

He lifted a hand, signaling that he had heard, and would make sure of it.

Or so he hoped.

* * *

“So, you like this guy?”

Alfred and Mathew were sitting in Mathew’s room. Mainly because it was cleaner than Alfred’s own, and another because he felt more comfortable there. Alfred had went straight to his brother the moment they got home, after his little stalking fest of course, and said he needed to talk to him.

“I guess…I mean, if him making me think nasty thoughts is liking? I really haven’t liked anyone before…just thought a few people cute and such.”

Mathew nodded at this, picking up one of Alfred’s car magazines and flipping through it. Alfred was always leaving his things laying around in various rooms. Alfred and Mathew lived alone together in the heart of Britain, having come over from America to study abroad. Alfred had insisted Mathew come with him because he knew French, and to keep him company. Mathew said he would, and now here they were.

Alfred flopped back on Mathew’s bed, rolling around a little. It was a comfort to be with one’s sibling in a time of need. Not that he really needed any help, he was just a bit confused. Confused as to how to get Arthur, since his pick-up lines were no good and the teasing Arthur didn’t like. Well, maybe he liked it a little.

“So, what do you think I should do? Just ask him out?”

Mathew sighed and pushed up his glasses. He turned the page to a bright red Ferrari and stared at it.

“If the school catches you dating a teacher you will be kicked out.”

“He’s not really a teacher though…”

“Fine. If they catch you dating _anyone employed_ at the school, you will be kicked out.”

Alfred huffed and grabbed a stuffed bear. He threw it at Mathew and it bounced off the other then to the ground.

“Whatever. Not like they would catch us. You know I like breaking the rules.” He turned and grinned at his brother, blue eyes sparkling. Mathew rolled his own.

“ _Yes_ , you would get caught. I know because you would try to do _it_ whenever you had a free period. Which is about four times a day. They would catch you and kick you out.”

Alfred tsked, not understanding this country.

“So prostitution is legal, but I can’t even date someone five years older than me that works at a school. That’s bull.”

Mathew shrugged, slightly more interested in the Jaguar now pictured before him.

Since Mathew wasn’t being much help, Alfred decided to call over a friend. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and scrolled down and pressed the call button. It rang two times before it was picked up.

“Like, what is it Alfred? I’m a little busy with Toris here.”

“Yo, Feliks! Wanna come over? I, ah, I’ll let you watch _Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron_ …”

“…We’ll totally be there in twenty.”

The connection ended and Alfred stuck his tongue out at Mathew, who had an indifferent look on his face.

“What?” Alfred questioned.

“Oh, nothing. As long as he’s bringing Toris, I don’t care.”

Alfred nodded and stared at the ceiling, wondering how fast twenty minutes go by when you’re doing nothing but thinking about a single person.

* * *

It didn’t take all that long, Alfred thought, for Feliks and Toris to arrive. He was thinking about Arthur after all, playing out his little fantasy. Not too bad of ones though since he was in Mathew’s bedroom after all.

Feliks didn’t bother knocking. He came right in and followed the hallway, calling out for Alfred.

“In Mathew’s room!”

Toris trailed behind, slightly nervous. This wasn’t his first time in Alfred and Mathew’s house though. The door to the room was open and Feliks strutted in, going towards the TV and sitting down in front of it. He grabbed the required DVD off a stack of other movies and gently popped it in. He really needed to buy this one. Or steal it.

Toris glanced around the neat room while standing in the doorway, not sure of where to go. Mathew helped him out though, and stood up, dropping the magazine.

“Come on Toris, let’s go bake something. Sound good?”

Toris nodded, leaving the room with Mathew, sparing a quick glance at Feliks.

Alfred crawled on the bed over to his friend, who was seated a little closer than necessary to the TV, which was close to the foot of the bed. Feliks leaned back and tilted his head, looking at Alfred upside-down.

“So like, what did you want to talk about? Finally get a boyfriend and want to do it with him?”

Alfred let out a laugh, but said no.

“I want advice on how to actually get someone. I need to ask him out before we get to _that_.”

Feliks hummed and glanced back at the movie, watching the cartoon horses for a little while before looking back up.

“Just ask him. That’s all I did with Toris. I said, ‘You like me, right? So let’s go out. I’ll like, totally make it worthwhile.’ and he said yes. Easy as pie. Hey, do you think they’ll make some pie? Or something else?”

Again, Alfred let a laugh out. He loved this guy.

“That’s because Toris is easy. He’s the same age as us too. Plus you knew he liked you, so all you had to do was ask. This guy I like is…older, only by a little though. Works at the school too.”

Feliks smirked and continued to watch the movie.

“I like, wonder who it could be. Wait, don’t tell me. That stuffy old librarian?”

The side of his head received a light smack, but he knew he had hit the nail on the head.

“He’s five years older than us! So what if I called him an old man at first. His hair is pretty light colored. And those eyebrows, that’s where it all went! They are massive. But super cute. I like him. Really fun to tease, and just my type.”

Alfred watched as Feliks shook his head back and forth.

“Like, no way! Remember that Italian guy you said was ‘your type’ last year, that senior? Yeah, he totally made a fool out of you in front of the whole class.”

The American rolled over onto his back, once again staring at the ceiling.

“So what? My tastes can change.”

“From totally super preppy to old and stuffy? You’re like, a super freak.”

Alfred and Feliks busted out laughing, remembering how his plan on that guy had back fired badly.

Joining in, Alfred watched a little bit of the movie. He liked kid movies. There was a lot of singing, sure, but it was always a happy ending. Something he wanted. A happy ending…

After a while they both heard footsteps and looked over to the doorway in time to see Mathew and Toris each holding a plate of brownies. Mathew came into the room first and handed his plate to Alfred, knowing he would eat them all within a few minutes. He then grabbed a few bean bags and set them by the bed, motioning for Toris to sit down with him.

Toris hesitantly sat on an over used blue bean bag and set his plate on the floor in front of him. Feliks reached over and took one, looking at Toris as he licked some of the chocolate frosting off the top. The brunet blushed a little and looked away.

Alfred watched this as he stuffed his face full and tried not to laugh. He wanted to ask some questions, and knew they would be uncomfortable, but he had know. Alfred swallowed hard and licked his lips.

“Okay, question time! Toris, are you top or bottom?”

Toris’s eyes went wide, face flushing. He looked at Feliks for help while Mathew scolded Alfred for asking such a question.

“It’s cool Matt, it’s totally cool. Like, I’m not afraid to say anything. Toris, don’t be embarrassed. We have to like, teach these two about relationships so that they can go out and totally get in one of their own.”

Mathew sighed, but accepted. Alfred grabbed another brownie and waited impatiently for someone to answer him. Feliks saw that his Toris was still a little embarrassed. They would need some alcohol if they wanted him to really let go. So the blond answered instead.

“Like, he totally tops me. Makes me scream and everything. Toris is totally the best out of all of us in bed.”

Mathew choked on the brownie he was trying to eat carefully, and Alfred spit his out in a fit of laughter. He knew it!

Toris hid his face with his hands, ears gone red, making Alfred laugh even more. Feliks glanced at the TV before crawling over and wrapping an arm around Toris.

“Come on Liet, it’s totally okay. We’re all friends here. Plus you’re totally amazing in bed. Don’t like, be ashamed of that. It’s something to be proud of.”

Toris shook his head, refusing too look up, even with the sweet nickname. The Lithuanian just didn’t want to give out so much about their private life. Feliks tightened his grip and looked up at Alfred.

“Like, have any more questions?”

Why yes, he did. Quite a lot, actually.

* * *

Arthur made it to his house at a unacceptable hour, but he had an excuse. After his little fun with dream Alfred he had really needed a drink. Or a couple. Or more than a couple.

So now it was two a.m. and he dragged himself inside, only making it to the couch. Alfred had been on his mind the whole while, and he was pretty sure he had spilled that shop to a few others. Hopefully they had been as drunk as him. He didn’t want to advertise that place.

He rubbed a hand down his face, feeling absolutely wasted. Never one to hold his alcohol he had gotten drunk fast. He was surprised he had made it home.

Ah…that’s right, the bar was just across the street.

Arthur knew he needed to do something. Even though Alfred was still a student, and it wasn’t acceptable to be engaging in activities with him, he couldn’t stand having something only in his dreams. He needed the real Alfred. He would even say he was daft enough to want to love the other man. Plus he was in need of a relationship. He couldn’t recall ever having on that lasted more than a month.

Green eyes slowly closed. What was the point in staying awake? He knew he would dream about Alfred, and his obsession would become worse. He needed to do something about this.

That’s it, he was going to find out where Alfred lived and confront him about this whole absurd thing. If he was turned down, so be it. Then maybe he could finally get some sleep.

And if Alfred didn’t turn him down…

Arthur’s mind went hazy and sleep took him.


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur slowly cracked his eyes open, instantly realizing that he was not in his room, but in the living area. He glanced at the wall clock, seeing that it was eleven. Struggling to get up with a massive headache, Arthur made his way into the kitchen in search of some painkillers. Swallowing down a couple, he noticed that there were dishes in the sink. That’s funny…he remembered cleaning up the morning before. So had he ate something last night?

That must have been it. Even though he always cleaned up right after he was done. Last night he had been totally smashed, so he must have forgotten.

Running some hot water, Arthur cleaned up the plate, cup, and fork. He set them on the drying rack and wiped his hands, smiling a little. Then he turned around, and had an armful of Spaniard.

“Ahh, Arthur! Mi amigo! I thought you’d never get up!”

Antonio clung tightly to him, rubbing his face along side Arthur’s. The blond squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t believe that Antonio had just marched into his house and ate some of his food. Wait…he could. He could.

“Antonio, what are you doing here?” he asked, not even trying to sound nice.

The Spanish man grinned and pulled away from Arthur, hands still securely around him.

“What do you mean? Did you forget I was coming to stay for the week?”

Antonio laughed and grabbed Arthur’s face, kissing each cheek once and grinning like a mad man.

Of course Arthur had forgotten. Antonio had only called to remind him about two weeks ago. He had also been a little preoccupied. Arthur hung his head, not quite sure what to say. The Spaniard didn’t seem to mind the silence and lead Arthur to take a seat at his table. While Antonio fetched some cereal and milk, Arthur stared blankly at the shiny wood in front of him.

Great. Now he had to deal with this bubbly idiot for a week. To make a long story short, Antonio had had a one night stand with someone he called “The one made for him” and after he fell asleep, the guy left. Antonio had woken up with a vague memory of the man’s face and recollection of things they had done.

Since then, which was three months ago, Antonio had come over every other week in search of his long lost love. He claimed the man was Italian, so why wasn’t he looking for the guy in Italy? Well, Antonio said he had a twin brother that ran a shop in Britain. So, being Antonio’s friend since high school, he was obligated to try and help him. But now really wasn’t the time.

A bowl of rice pops with some cut banana and blueberries on top was set in front of him. Antonio hummed a little Spanish song and took a seat across from him, pointing at the bowl for him to eat. Arthur sighed and picked up a spoon. The brunet watched him chew with cheery eyes.

“So, where should we start today? I think on the east end of London first, then we can take the train over to the west, and then up…”

He continued on, Arthur eating slowly and staring at the wall behind his friend. It was like this every time. He really wanted to tell Antonio to just forget it; there were plenty of other people out there for him to be with. He even wanted to go as far as drop him off with Francis, but he didn’t. Those deep emerald eyes so full of love…he really couldn’t say no to him.

Arthur finished the cereal and Antonio quickly grabbed his bowl and put it in the sink. He turned back to him, smile still in tack.

“Go get dressed, then we can head out! Oh yeah…you didn’t have anything planned for today, did you?”

_Oh, not really. Just thinking about my future with someone important is all, while you’re still hung up on a one night stand!_

“No, nothing. I’ll go get changed.”

Arthur got up and went to his room, trying to pick out something that would look good on a Brit accompanying a Spaniard. Antonio’s ripped jeans and flashy band shirts didn’t go well with a prim and proper gentleman.

He had a feeling that today was going to royally suck.

* * *

Mathew shook his brother’s shoulder to wake him. It was almost noon for crying out loud! Alfred groaned and swatted at his sibling to go away.

All four had stayed up late into the night, talking about various things that all revolved around sex. Turned out Feliks knew quite a lot on that certain subject. He was also lazy, so both had stayed over night, taking the bed in the spare room.

Hands on his hips and lower lip stuck out, Mathew counted out loud from five to one. On the last number he grabbed Alfred’s blanket and ripped it away.

Alfred shouted, not enjoying the freezing air that hit his warm body. He glared at the smug smile on Matt was displaying and grabbed a pillow. It hit his brother’s face, making his glasses go askew.

“Alfred! Just get up! We still have guests over. I know you don’t really care and all, but at least put on some pants. I don’t think Feliks or Toris care to see you in your superman undies.”

Alfred growled and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t care. We’re all guys here.”

Mathew ‘tsked’ and walked out of the room, keen on starting breakfast.

Obeying his darling brother Alfred pulled on some sweat pants, but not a shirt. He was proud of his nice chest and almost six pack. Not wanting to mentally brag about his hot body too much, Alfred stuck on his glasses and went into the kitchen. Toris and Feliks were already at the table.

“Hey, guys! Sleep good? You didn’t keep me up, haha!”

Toris blushed and Feliks smiled, thumping his boyfriend on the back.

“Like, yeah we slept good! Is that mattress a Tempur-Pedic or something?”

Mathew, who was currently making pancakes, said that yes, it was.

“So, what you going to do today? Hang out here?” Alfred asked, not knowing exactly what he and Matt were going to do. Maybe go over to Arthur’s house and stalk around? Or perhaps go to a movie?

Feliks looked thoughtful before flipping his hair and smiling.

“We were going to like, go to the museum or the park; something Toris likes. It’s totally a good way to be all romantic and stuff. When you get someone, make sure to do things they like.”

Alfred nodded at this, determination setting in. He would have to ambush Arthur sometime and tell him how he felt. Sometime soon.

* * *

Arthur was yet again dragged into another shop, Antonio asking in smooth Italian if they knew a prissy guy with dark brown hair, crazy curl sticking up on one side, always made fun of Germans and was scared of the French. No one seemed to know this mystery guy. A dark cloud of hopelessness was starting to form and it was bringing Arthur down. He kept telling Antonio that they would find his long lost love, even if they had to search forever.

“Thanks, amigo. I really appreciate you helping me.”

Arthur said he would always help. Well…maybe not always. Maybe just some of the time.

Before he knew it they were on an all too familiar street, stopping in front of an all too familiar shop. Just as Arthur was about to say to forget this place and move on to the next, Antonio was already inside. He caught the door before it closed and slid in.

He watched as the Spanish man looked around at the plain interior and single chair. Then, the back door opened, and out came Feliciano. If Arthur had blinked he would have missed the way Antonio _lunged_ at Feliciano, tackling him to the ground, peppering his face with sloppy kisses.

“YOU! Oh, how I’ve missed you! ¿Ha faltado a mí también? Ahh, I mean, Dove sei stato tutto questo tempo?!”

Arthur watched as Ludwig then came marching out, angry frown on his face as he picked up Antonio by the back of his shirt and pulled him away.

Feliciano sat up, looking confused. He then put on a cute smile.

“Ahh, hello, sir! Have you mistaken me for my brother?”

There was a long silence, everyone looking at Feliciano. Antonio’s eyes went wide.

“You-you are his brother?! Where is he?! Wait- what’s his name?! He never told me! Please!”

He tried crawling over to Feliciano, but Ludwig grabbed him again and held him back. The Italian tilted his head from side to side, humming slightly.

“Ah! You mean Romano? What did he do this time? He’s always getting into fights. I tried to tell him not to get-”

“Yes! That name sounds like it would suit him! You know where he is, don’t you? Right?!”

Again he tried to go over to Feliciano, but Ludwig held him tight.

The Italian took pity on Antonio and slowly came over to him. He took the Spaniard’s head gently in his hands and looked down into his eyes. Ludwig let go of his shirt.

“Are you in love with my brother? Has he stolen your heart? I feel for you.”

Arthur watched in shocked silence as his friend’s face turned red. He was a little too far away, but it looked like Antonio was going to cry…

“Y-yes…I have been looking for him for several months now. Can you tell me where he is? I need to see him…so badly…”

Feliciano smiled softly and nodded. “Of course. I can call him over here if you want me to. He only lives a short distance away.”

Antonio shook his head up and down hard, wiping his eyes and taking in a shaky breath. Feliciano let go of Antonio and stood up, reaching into his pocket to take out his phone. He went into the back room and closed the door.

Arthur, Antonio, and Ludwig stood in an awkward silence for a couple minutes until Feliciano returned. The brunet came out, looking a little too happy.

“He’ll be over shortly. Take a seat…ah, what was your name?”

“Antonio…”

Feliciano led him to the only available chair and sat him down. Again it was quiet.

Arthur sighed inside his head. Finally. Finally the guy was coming over and Antonio would be out of his hair! He wanted to thank the Queen, but he didn’t have time. The front door burst open, revealing a crazy looking guy. The man, most likely Romano, came storming up to Feliciano.

“So? Where are those hundred tomatoes you said were just dropped off?! I want them, now!”

Feliciano laughed and wrapped an arm around his brother, turning him towards Antonio, who looked like he was ready to faint.

“Right here brother. Your tomatoes are right here!”

Romano stared down at Antonio, looking confused and mildly pissed. The Spanish man took it upon himself to speak.

“Ah, Salve Romano…Do you…do you remember me?”

The dark haired Italian stared at him, brows knit together. Arthur thought this whole thing was getting a little too weird, but kept silent.

“…Not really. Your face does look familiar though. Feli! Where are those tomatoes?! Don’t you lie to me, you bastard!”

Romano turned and grabbed the front of Feliciano’s shirt, raising him up off the ground and shaking him.

“Calm down, Romano. I just lied about the tomatoes to get you over here!”

The two had a word fight back and forth in Italian for a while. Arthur closed his eyes and sat down on the ground. How long was this going to go on for? Obviously this Romano guy didn’t remember Antonio. He should have just forgotten about him in the first place.

Arthur rested his head in his hand, trying to block out the bickering behind him. He stared out the large glass windows, seeing that it was slowly getting dark.

He felt like a beer. Okay, several beers.

* * *

“Come on Alfred! We’re going to miss the movie! I want to see it, so we’re going! I already got the tickets on my phone, so hurry it up!”

Mathew once again tugged at Alfred’s hand, trying to get the man moving again. He had stopped for what seemed like the tenth time that afternoon to stare into some shop window.

“Settle down, Mattie. We still got time. It’s been ages since I’ve been out and around the town!”

Mathew huffed, not liking the nickname or Alfred’s attitude.

“Well, _Alfie_ , the movie starts at five, and it is now four fifty-three. The movie theater is still a couple blocks away. So, please, can we hurry up? I really want to see this one.”

Alfred was not amused.

“Don’t call me that! It’s ugly and stupid sounding. Al is okay though. And _fine_. Let’s go.”

Mathew smiled a little and continued walking, trying to drag Alfred just a little bit faster.

But then Alfred looked over to his right and put on the brakes. Mathew was pulled back, almost tripping and falling.

“What the hell, Alfred!”

Alfred didn’t even hear his brother. He was too busy staring into the shop. There, sitting on the ground, was Arthur, who was staring right back at him. Their eyes met.

He swallowed hard, not able to turn away. It had felt like forever since he had seen Arthur, when it had really only been yesterday. And there he was, looking cute sitting all slouched over on the floor of some shop, seemingly just as shocked as he was.

Alfred winced as he was hit on the back by a pissed off Mathew.

“Dammit, Alfred! Fine! I’m going to the movie. You can stay here and stare at windows for all I care! I’ll just call Gilbert and-”

Alfred spun on his heel, grabbing Mathew’s clenched fist.

“You are _not_ calling that asshole. Ever. I thought we went over this already.”

Mathew’s eyes filled with tears and he dropped his head, hand going limp in Alfred’s. He sucked in a shaky breath, trying to turn away.

“Look…Matt, look, I’m sorry. We’ll go to the movie, okay? It’s just that Arthur’s in there and I got distracted. Let’s go, we don’t want to miss any of it.”

He pulled Mathew close to him and gave Arthur and apologetic look with a little wave. He slowly walked off, trying to comfort his brother.

* * *

Arthur watched the two blonds walk on, feeling just a little bit disappointed. But he had seen Alfred, and Alfred had acknowledged him, even in a none teasing way. In a ‘hey, I know you, but I was surprised to see you there’ way. They had shared a brief moment. That was all it took to have Arthur smiling and forgetting about everything else.

_Alfred…You’re pretty amazing, you know that?_


	6. Chapter 6

Alfred and Mathew walked out of the movie theater. It was already six forty and Alfred wanted to grab something to eat before going over to Arthur’s house.

Yes, he was going over there. He _needed_ to go over there. The look they had shared…Arthur definitely had told him through his eyes to come over.

“Alfred…Alfred, are you even listening?”

The American blinked and looked down, seeing his pouting brother. He offered a smile.

“Ahh, sorry. I got distracted. You know me!”

Mathew _did_ know Alfred. He knew him too well. Also, he was getting tired of Alfred being such a mother to him. He _thought_ he had left that women at home.

“Look, Alfred…I’m going to…go to a friend’s house. I’ll be back tomorrow sometime. See you.”

Alfred didn’t have time to say anything. Mathew turned and jogged away, leaving Alfred a little confused. But he shrugged and let it go. Mathew was old enough to do what he wanted. He was still a little concerned.

Knowing the way by heart, Alfred ignored the fancy shops and made a beeline for the nearest McDonalds. He was at first skeptical as to if Britain even had any, but soon found out that yes, it had plenty.

He had to wait in line for a little while, but eventually it was his turn and he ordered. Grabbing his food, an image of Arthur’s house popped into his mind.

_I’ll be there soon, Arthur. You better be home!_

He had one more stop before Arthur’s place though.

* * *

Arthur didn’t want this. That stupid Antonio had finally found his long lost love, and what does he do? Complain that they need some time apart so he would be staying with Arthur. The Brit _really_ didn’t want to see anymore of Antonio. He was sick of him. He lived alone for a reason!

“Come on, Arthur, please! I need a place to stay until I can convince Romano to go out with me! It’ll only be for a week, I swear! You’ll be at work anyway!”

Yeah, he would be at work. And when he came home for a nice, _quiet_ evening, he wouldn’t be able to have that. Plus, his food would be gone.

“I’m sorry, Antonio, but ahh…I have another friend…coming to…stay…yeah! He’ll be here shortly, so you better leave!”

Antonio stared at him in disbelief. Then, a wide smile stretched across his face.

“Ahh man, that’s so cool! Now we can have a threesome! Ah-I mean, ha, you know, a party! I can invite someone over too, right? He’s the best! Can I?!”

God damn. Did this guy never shut up? Arthur was getting a headache. Antonio never left until he got what he wanted. Arthur was sick of fighting it, and reluctantly he could stay, but just for a _few_ nights.”

With more enthusiasm than Arthur would ever have, Antonio jumped up and down times before grabbing his phone off the table and pressing some buttons. Arthur thought it smart to sit down and attempt to calm himself.

Antonio was grinning like crazy, slowly pacing around the room, listening to the rings. It clicked and a voice on the other end yelled, and he yelled back.

“Gilbert! I’m having a party! Get your ass over here with some of that awesome beer! Ah, I’ll text you the address!”

…What had Arthur gotten himself into this time?

* * *

Courage.

Something that Alfred had a shit load of.

Well, except when it came to going to a stranger’s house to ask them out.

Okay, so Arthur wasn’t really a stranger, but he didn’t know much about the other man.

Alfred ran a hand through his messy hair before swallowing.

He could do this. Just go over there and knock and smile and hold out the damn rose and hope to hell he would take it. Easy!

Alfred slowly walked up to the door. He raised his hand to knock, but seen that there was a doorbell. He pressed the little button once and faintly heard the resounding chime. His stance was made more square and he gripped the flower a little too tightly.

He heard the door click as the handle was turned.

Not even waiting to see who it could be, Alfred squeezed his eyes shut and pushed out his hand. It bumped into the person standing at the door, but Alfred didn’t care and kept it held out.

“I came over here to tell you that…that I sort of like you! You like me too, right? I know I’m just some dumb kid but will you give me a chance?”

Hesitantly, Alfred opened his eyes.

And met… dark green? Arthur’s eyes were a lighter shade, and his skin wasn’t that tan… Alfred shook his head and took in this person as a whole. Yeah, not Arthur…. But who?

The man at the door looked confused before he grinned and pulled him inside.

“Sorry, boy, I already have a lover. But I know someone who could use one~”

Alfred was pushed through the house until they came to the living room. And there he was.

Arthur had turned to see what all the noise was and sat in shock. Alfred. He was in his house!

Alfred tensed up and opened his mouth. To say what, he didn’t know, but maybe to say something, anything. Nothing came out though. Everything was silent.

Antonio looked thoughtfully between the two. Then, with a harsh push, he shoved Alfred at the couch. The American went stumbling towards Arthur, surprise written all over his face as his foot caught on a leg of the coffee table and he went down, head landing somewhere between Arthur’s legs.

Alfred’s head shot up, wide eyes looking frightfully at Arthur. He slowly scooted back.

“Ahaha! He dared me to play crotch tag! I swear! I had to um…smash my face into your dick to complete it!” Alfred pointed accusingly at Antonio, who was busy laughing.

Arthur’s face was, of course, bright red. He couldn’t believe that he had just had Alfred’s head between his legs. He wanted to say it was a dream come true, but it wasn’t. He had clearly seen Antonio push Alfred.

Just as he was about to give Antonio a piece of his mind, he heard the front door slam open, then shut. Heavy foot steps got louder and louder. All three men turned and watched as a silver haired guy appeared, holding a cooler.

Antonio smiled and went over to his friend, grabbing the cooler and setting it down on the coffee table.

“Bout time, Gilbert! Now we can start!”

Gilbert flashed an evil looking grin before pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

“Hold on! Got another few coming!”

Arthur watched in horror as Francis came waltzing in, followed by Roderich.

This was _not_ good.

Gilbert looked around at everyone, finally eyeing Alfred. His evil grin grew worse as he walked over to where Alfred was still sitting on the floor.

“Well well well! If it isn’t my last fuck’s current boyfriend! Hey sweetie, how’s it been?”

Alfred’s eyes turned cold and he glared hatefully at Gilbert. He had hoped he would never have to see this bastard again. The asshole had almost killed his brother. Alfred slowly stood up, hands clenched into fists at his side. He had to restrain himself, but he wanted so bad to just punch this sorry excuse for a human in the mouth.

“I’m his brother, you sick fuck. I can’t ever forgive you for what you did to him.”

Gilbert’s eyes lit up, remembering. He rubbed his hands together.

“Ahh, yes. What was his name? Matt? I think so. We were just having some fun. I didn’t know he was allergic to the best drug I had at the time. He was a real good fuck too.”

That smirk was wiped right off of Gilbert’s face as Alfred’s unforgiving fist connected with his jaw. Gilbert stumbled back, looking surprised that the kid would actually punch him. His grin returned though. He had barely felt that, partly because he was drunk and the other because this boy was a pussy fighter. Gilbert was going to comment on this, but Alfred wasn’t done talking.

“You knew. You _knew!_ He told you he was allergic to meth, but what do you do? Get him drunk and make him smoke it. He almost _died!_ ”

Alfred stood strong, ready to attack if he had to. If he _wanted_ to.

Gilbert held up his hands in defeat.

“Look man, I know what I did was…a little bit bad. But it’s all good. I haven’t touched that shit for a couple months now. I just came here to have a good time. You should calm down and have some fun too.”

Alfred didn’t want to let him go that easily. But then Arthur was at his side, a hand on his arm, looking at him with searching, concerned eyes. He backed off, but asked if he could talk to Arthur somewhere else.

* * *

They were in Arthur’s room, but there wasn’t that surprised happiness that was there before. Arthur sat on his bed while Alfred paced the room, probably thinking of ways to kill Gilbert. It was probably a touchy subject, and Arthur didn’t want to pry, but he kind of wanted to know now.

“Alfred? You can…sit next to me. And talk. If you want to, I mean. I don’t want to push you…”

The American stopped walking and looked at Arthur with a blank expression. He came over and sat next to Arthur, leaving a good amount of space between them. The sooner he got it out, the sooner he could forget and focus on what he had come here to do in the first place.

“…Mathew had met this guy…I was really happy for him, and a little bit jealous. He wouldn’t bring him home, and that’s what made me curious at the start. They dated for about two months…Then one day I get a call from some guy, turned out to be Gilbert, saying something about Matt passed out and I was supposed to come get him. I didn’t think anything of it at first. He had probably just drank a little too much…” Alfred stopped for a minute, staring at the hardwood floor of Arthur’s bedroom. “…And then I get there, and the room’s filled with smoke and I think it’s a fire, but Gilbert comes over all high and points to the room where Matt is. I find him and his face is all puffed up and I swear he’s not breathing, but I know he’s alive because he has a pulse. That bastard wouldn’t even help me take Matt out to the car. I get him to the hospital. They said…they said if I had waited a couple more minutes he would have died,” Alfred choked out the last part, closing his eyes tight, hand covering his mouth.

Arthur gently put his arms around Alfred, placing the bright blond head against his chest. The other was shaking lightly, but not crying.

“It’s okay…I…I can kick him out if you want…”

Alfred shook his head. He needed to face this. He had to learn how to better protect the ones he loved.

_Arthur… can you teach me?_

That silly thought…Alfred lifted up his head, face now just inches apart. The only light in the room, a lamp, flickered once, indicating someone was using the water. Loud music began to pound through the house.

Arthur didn’t notice any of it. All he could think about was Alfred and how close he was.

It was now or never.

Alfred sucked in a quick breath before hesitantly touching his lips to Arthur’s own. He kept his eyes open, pushing forward a little before pulling back. Arthur started to follow before he caught himself and stopped. They were inches away again.

Alfred offered a light smile.

“I…I like you. I have for a little while now…Sorry about the rose, I kind of landed on it when I got pushed but I can get you another one if you want. I mean-”

“Alfred.”

The man in question stopped talking.

“Yeah?”

Arthur adjusted himself, thinking of the best way to put it. Might as well just come out and say it.

“Shut up…”

“Ah! Sorry, I-”

“…and kiss me.”

He was corny, yes, but it was probably the easiest way to ask. Arthur’s face was covered in a light pink dusting, and he refused to let it get any darker than that. But the way Alfred gave him that genuine smile, eyes shining finally without hate or sadness, made his heart thump painfully.

Alfred reached up and put his hands on Arthur’s warm face, thumbs rubbing small circles into his skin. Alfred’s forehead tapped his own.

“Sure thing.”

Arthur’s breath caught as Alfred kissed him for the second time that night.

Alfred still couldn’t believe that his damn History teacher was in the same house as him, probably getting drunk.

He pushed that thought aside, thinking solely on the one in front of him.

It was about damn time they got this far.


	7. Chapter 7

It was enough. For now. Arthur didn’t want anyone in his house if he and Alfred had sex. Not that he was thinking about that when they were just now together. Nope.

Arthur stood up and held out his hand for Alfred to take. The younger man tilted his head with a smile and took Arthur’s smaller hand into his own.

Now was time to face the music.

Alfred had to go down there and behave while Gilbert was in the same room. It was going to be a challenge, but he thought he had the guts to do it. As long as the German didn’t get too drunk or high or violent or _stupid_. Ah, wait; he was probably all four of those already.

Once they were out of Arthur’s room, the hard bass assaulted their ears, making Arthur cringe. He really didn’t care for any type of music other than classical and a bit of soft rock. Alfred on the other hand started bobbing his head, liking the current song.

Slowly, carefully, the two walked into the living room, seeing the other four men lounging about, drinking beer and of course eating some of Arthur’s food. He would have to take up another job at this rate.

Alfred released his hand and made his way over to the couch. He plopped down between Antonio and Francis, trying to look happy. Across from him sat Gilbert and Roderich in the loveseat.

He felt slightly sick all of a sudden. His…teacher….was sitting practically in Gilbert’s lap…

Arthur came around then, bringing in a chair from the kitchen since there were no seats left. He put it beside the couch, joining Alfred in glaring at Gilbert.

The silver haired man seemed to finally notice that people staring at him and looked over, locking eyes with Alfred. He grinned, hand coming up and placing it on Roderich’s neck.

“What’s wrong, Alfred? Don’t you like my current fuck? He’s a cutie, ain’t he?”

Alfred heard the man clearly, even with the loud music. And he wasn’t very happy with what he heard. It was…sort of gross. Well, he tried to tell himself that. It’s not like he cared who fucked with Gilbert, but it was his teacher, which didn’t make it any easier.

It was getting kind of awkward, to say the least.

When Alfred didn’t say anything, Gilbert moved his hand down, tracing Roderich’s throat, then lower until it was out of site. The Austrian blushed and adverted his eyes. Gilbert let out a small laugh and pressed his lips to Roderich’s cheek in a peck.

Francis took it upon himself to grab Alfred’s thigh and slowly slide up it.

Wrong move.

“Get your filthy frog hands off of him,”

Arthur didn’t bother getting up, choosing instead to shout and glare at the pervert. Francis smiled and took his hand away, deciding not to anger Arthur anymore than he already had.

The Brit then stood and went over to the music, turning it down so he could hear himself.

“So…What are you guys even doing here? I didn’t invite you. And even if I had it wouldn’t be so I could watch you get drunk and then have sex on my floor. I think you all should leave. Now.”

Gilbert snickered, eyes sparkling. He grabbed a beer bottle that sat on the table and chugged it. He let it drop to the carpeted floor with a dull thud that caused Arthur to wince.

“You _think_ we should leave? Well, what if I _think_ you need to shut the fuck up? Pull that stick out of your ass and have some fun.”

Arthur bristled, not enjoying Gilbert’s attitude one bit. The man really needed to learn some modesty.

“Look here, you! It’s my house and if I want you gone, you as better well get! Antonio, why are you friends with this arse?”

Antonio shrugged. “We go way back, the three of us. Me, Gilbert, and Francis. Known each other since we were little! Did shit together, all that good stuff. Friends for life!”

Francis and Gilbert agreed with this.

Arthur didn’t know what else to do. Gilbert clearly wasn’t going to leave and he really didn’t want to call the police. So he stood and went over to the kitchen, motioning for Alfred to follow him.

“What’s up, Arthur?”

Arthur sighed and leaned against the refrigerator.

“I really don’t want to stay here with these people. I can’t relate to any of them and I am not too fond of Gilbert.”

“That makes two of us.”

Arthur smiled sadly. “Yes. So, do you have any ideas? I don’t want you to stay here and be uncomfortable since Roderich is here also… Damn, it must be embarrassing for the both of you.”

Alfred huffed a laugh and scratched his head.

“A little. I won’t judge him on how he lives his life though...”

Suddenly, there was someone else with them. Alfred and Arthur turned to see the man they had been talking about.

“Ah…Excuse me for interrupting. I just wanted you to know…well, Alfred really, I had refused to come here, but Gilbert made me…”

Arthur tilted his head, looking thoughtful.

“So…you aren’t dating Gilbert?”

Austria blushed and looked at the floor.

“…No. I’m not in a very inappropriate relationship with someone else right now. I’m just good friends with Gilbert, for some odd reason. So please, don’t think that I’m some…Just don’t think badly of me.”

Alfred’s eyes widened, wondering if he had heard right. Roderich…was in a relationship with another student? Like how Arthur now was with him? Hmm…

He couldn’t help but grin and pat Roderich on the back as he left the kitchen.

Arthur hurried to follow him.

“Alfred…are you leaving? Not that I’m stopping you or anything…”

Alfred opened the front door.

“No. _We’re_ leaving! Matt’s at a friends, so you can come over. Not that you couldn’t if he was there.”

Arthur stared at Alfred. He was…asking him to come over? Already? Well, they were at his own house right now, but still.

He nodded dumbly and grabbed his coat from the hanger by the door, trying to not think of all the things that could go wrong in his home if he wasn’t there to stop it.

Alfred slid their hands together and held tight.

* * *

Arthur instantly liked Alfred’s house. It was like his own when he was growing up: full of childish things, expensive things, breakable things, cheap things, things that he simply missed.

Attempting to get off his trip on memory lane, Arthur followed Alfred to presumably his bedroom.

Alfred clapped his hands, and the lights flashed on.

Yeah, it was his bedroom all right.

Clothes on the floor, food wrappers strewn about, comics stacked up in the corners, desk overflowing with papers and a buried laptop. He liked the bed though, mainly because of the blanket on it. It was _Top Gear_. 

Alfred tried to make a path and pushed through. He got to the bed and laid back on it, stretching out. Arthur watched him, feeling a little out of place. He stood silently in the doorway.

Finally, Alfred lifted his head and looked curiously at Arthur.

“What cha doing over there? You can come and sit…anywhere ya want…”

Arthur gave a jerky nod and made his way over to Alfred. He sat on the edge of the bed, not really knowing what to do.

“Hey, Arthur, if you-”

Alfred abruptly stopped and clapped his hands, covering the room in darkness.

“Alfred, what is-”

A hand was firmly placed over Arthur’s mouth, Alfred shushing him. Then Arthur heard it. Voices and footsteps. It soon got louder.

“Ah yeah, this way. No, not there, down here. My room’s at the end…I don’t know if Alfred’s back, so stay quiet, please. He can’t know about this…”

Arthur didn’t have time to stop the younger man as he jumped off the bed and made for the door. He clapped his hands, and then there was light.

Along with Mathew and some other guy.

Alfred’s mouth hung open a little as he looked back and forth between his horror-stricken brother and the dark-skinned man standing in the hallway.

Mathew and Alfred tried to speak at the same time, but then stopped. Alfred held up a hand, signaling he was going to speak.

“Matt…who is this guy? I’ve never seen him before…and why can’t I know about this?”

Mathew swallowed hard, looking everywhere but at Alfred.

“Ahh, this is my friend…Carlos. I met him a few weeks back…First time over here…I didn’t want you to find out that…I…let him…eat some of your…ice cream! Sorry. He really likes it.”

Alfred squinted his eyes at Mathew before looking over the stranger. Big, dark-skinned, dreadlocks. Not someone Matt really made friends with. Not at all.

He stuck out his hand towards Carlos, who in turn flashed him a wide grin before taking the hand in a strong grip.

“Hola. ¿Qué tal?”

Ha, he knew it! This guy was definitely of some Spanish descent or other.

“Hey man! You speak English? Ahh…Inglés…?”

The man started at him for a little while before letting go of his hand.

“¿Voy a recibir el pago pronto? ¿Dónde está el dormitorio?”

Arthur came around and joined in the staring.

Mathew knew he was busted. In shaky Spanish he told Carlos, “Lo siento. Esto fue un error…”

At first the man looked confused, but then nodded and patted Mathew on the shoulder.

“¡Hasta luego!”

He turned around and left the way he had come.

When he heard the door shut, Alfred glared at Mathew.

“And why, pray tell, did you bring some random guy into the house? Someone who doesn’t know English? What were you going to do exactly? All I heard was about doing something ‘pronto’. Spill it, Mathew.”

Arthur watched as Mathew slumped against the wall, head hung. He slid to the floor and wrapped his arms around his legs.

“…Why should I tell you? I’m an adult, I can do whatever I want. It’s none of your business.”

He was quiet, but Alfred heard him through years of practice.

“It _is_ my business because you live with me. I don’t bring random guys home! I know you’re an adult, but that still doesn’t make it right to hide things. So why did you bring him here?”

Arthur was going to tell Alfred to calm down, but Mathew looked up, face red.

“I was going to let him fuck me, okay?! You don’t understand how lonely I am! Once you’ve had some, you just want more. Don’t you dare say that you can relate, because you can’t, you’re still a virgin. Damn it, Alfred… I know I suck at relationships, so why can’t I just pay for a one time thing? Is it really so bad to feel loved, even if it’s for a little while?”

Alfred at first didn’t know what to say to that. This was…slightly out of character for Mathew to be so straight forward. But as the big brother he had to take responsibility. He crouched down and lifted Mathew’s head from where it had resumed facing the floor.

“…I know that it must be hard. I’m not saying I actually know, but I can tell. I do know that you sort of loved that damn Gilbert guy. But you don’t have to go out looking for prostitutes. That isn’t love. Find someone and take the time to get to know them before going to the next level. And I…don’t think any less of you for what you were going to do. You’re still my brother, and I’ll always love you. Just please, don’t try it again.”

Mathew pressed his hands to his eyes and rubbed them before nodding. He and Alfred slowly stood up and Mathew walked to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Arthur felt a little heart broken at seeing the display. He wished he could have a sibling to comfort.

Alfred turned to him, trying to smile, but it didn’t look right. Arthur sighed rocked back and forth on his heels, looking at the ceiling.

“So…that was pretty fatherly of you. Quite different from the Alfred I see at school.”

Arthur looked down at Alfred when he heard him laugh.

“Not fatherly…just giving common sense. I don’t like to see him hurt.”

Arthur agreed with this. Was he starting to feel guilty because he had only thought dirty things about Alfred before instead of actually wanting to know more about the man? Now Arthur wanted to take back ever listening to Francis and going to that shop.

“Hey, Arthur, you there? Want to sleep over? There’s a spare room…”

Blinking, Arthur came out of his thoughts. Sleep over? Not even in Alfred’s room. He felt a little better now and accepted. Alfred pointed where the room was, and the bathroom, then stole a quick kiss before going into his room and closing his door.

Arthur felt hips lips tingle and let his shoulders relax. He was probably getting in far too deep. But he couldn’t help it. He was really starting to like Alfred and everything about him.

Except that messy room. He had an urge to clean now.

With a whispered goodnight, Arthur went into the spare room and tried to get some sleep. He would need it, having a feeling that he’d have to put his cleaning urge to good use on his own house the next day.


	8. Chapter 8

Arthur was the first one to wake up, surprisingly before Mathew. He took a peek into the hallway and seen the brothers’ doors were closed. Quietly as he could, Arthur went to the kitchen.

It was…slightly clean. He hadn’t really looked when he had come in with Alfred last night. But now after having a good look at it, it _did_ need some cleaning.

Arthur went to work, hoping to make the kitchen sparkle before anyone else in the house woke up. Then maybe make some breakfast with whatever was available.

* * *

Bacon. God damn, that was a nice smell. Like, really nice. So meaty and delicious…

Alfred opened his eyes, staring at the blurry ceiling. The smell of food had woken him up, like it usually did. Wait…what day was it? Ah yes, Sunday.

Not wanting to get out of bed but knowing that there was some great food waiting for him, Alfred slid to the floor, not bothering to put on a shirt. It was actually kind of hot in the house for once.

Alfred put on his glasses and went to his door. He opened it and walked to the kitchen.

…That wasn’t Mathew. Mathew didn’t have hair that light, or wear an apron.

Arthur turned at hearing footsteps. He looked at Alfred and smiled, holding up a spatula.

“Good morning. I thought I’d make breakfast….”

Arthur trailed off as he looked down from Alfred’s face. He took in that slender neck, jutting collar bone, the swell of pecs, then that ridged but smooth looking stomach.

He swallowed. Hard. Then tore his eyes away from the arousing sight of Alfred’s body and turned back to the stove, trying not to blush. He breathed deeply.

Alfred gave the back of Arthur’s head a confused look before taking a seat at the table. He was not surprised that Mathew wasn’t up yet. That guy really knew how to sulk.

It was quiet except for the sizzling of eggs and bacon, and the pop of the toaster. A couple minutes later Arthur set a plate in front of Alfred. As his hand was moving away, Alfred grabbed it and pulled, bringing Arthur closer to him.

Alfred smirked and pulled a little more, brining Arthur’s now red face right up to his. He let a sweet kiss fall on his boyfriend’s lips before letting go of Arthur’s hand. It didn’t matter though, because Arthur wasn’t leaving now. With a huffed laugh, Arthur gave in and reached up, gently holding onto Alfred’s chin as he pressed their lips together again.

Mathew walked into the kitchen yawing, before that turned into a coughing fit and he tried to excuse himself. Alfred laughed at seeing this and told Matt to come sit down.

Arthur went back cooking, ignoring the fact that Mathew now knew that he and Alfred were pretty much together.

Alfred grinned at Matt, picking up a fork.

“Isn’t he just the best? My little wife, cooking us breakfast.”

Mathew had to smile at that. He watched as Arthur came over, set a plate in front of him, then he turned away quickly. Mathew was only slightly surprised that Arthur had no objection to Alfred’s words.

No one brought up what had happened last night, be it at Arthur’s house or Alfred and Matt’s. They all ate in relative silence, Arthur attempting to get over his embarrassment.

When they were done, Arthur cleaned up the plates like a good maid while Mathew and Alfred talked about what to do.

“It’s Sunday, so maybe we should just stay here all day and do nothing?”

That was Alfred for you.

“School’s tomorrow, and you still haven’t done your homework, so you can stay home and do it while I go out to get some groceries and Arthur goes back to his house. He has to go to work tomorrow too.”

Arthur finished up and sat back down at the table, jumping into the conversation.

“It’s not like I really do much, just sit in the library all day. I can stay here and help Alfred with his homework. If he needs help, that is. Sometime or other I need to go out job hunting. And check on my house.”

Alfred violently nodded his head. He would take any help, or free answers, that he could get. But Mathew frowned.

“Why do you need another job? Do you not make enough?”

Arthur chuckled lightly, scratching his head.

“You see…I have this friend staying with me. He will eat all my food and not pay my back. Plus, if he keeps throwing parties, I’ll really be out. The school pays me well, but it would be nice to pick up an after school job for a little extra.”

Mathew understood this, and saw that it was more important than helping Alfred. He himself always helped Alfred and the other was doing fine in school.

“Okay, how about this. You come with me to get groceries and you can look around some, while Alfred stays here until he gets everything done. Then, if we aren’t back, he can join us.”

Alfred pouted, “That isn’t fair! You know it takes me like, the whole day to do my homework!”

Mathew laughed. “Exactly! This will motivate you to not procrastinate so much.”

Putting his feet up on the table, Alfred crossed his arms and huffed. “Trying to steal Arthur already. We haven’t even been together for a whole day yet! Snatch.”

Even though he whispered the last word Mathew still heard him and slapped a hand on the table.

“What did you call me?! I think you’re the one who was ragging on me last night about getting some. Sorry for not playing the ‘saving it for marriage’ card, Virgin Mary.”

Alfred followed Mathew, only this time dropping a fist on the table, making it shake.

“Stop pestering me about being a virgin! At least I’m not some whore who needs to buy a guy cause I’m too ‘bad at relationships’ to get out there and find an actual man!”

“Whatever! You’re just mad because Arthur is probably going out with you because he feels sorry for you. Just wait, he’ll drop you once he finds out how bad you are in bed.”

“Take that back! How do you know how good or not I am in bed? I bet if I had too I could make you scream.”

“Pfff yeah, in horror! You couldn’t even handle me. I’m part French you know.”

“Yeah, so secretly you’re a dirty pervert? I could handle anybody, especially you.”

Arthur really didn’t know what to make of this exchange of words. It was getting a little too awkward for him. He was going to excuse himself when all of a sudden Alfred and Mathew burst out laughing. It went on for a while, both holding their sides, eyes watering. Arthur smiled a little, happy to know that they weren’t really fighting.

Alfred was the first to get himself under control.

“Man…that was good! I can’t believe you think you’re a sex god.”

Mathew readjusted his glasses.

“You’ll never know, will you? Ah, sorry, Arthur. We always do this, just a little sibling fun.”

Both brothers stared at Arthur, waiting to hear his input. The Brit coughed into his fist, looking everywhere but at Alfred and Mathew.

“I think we should go soon, Mathew…I have to check at my house and see if it’s still in one piece.”

Mathew stood up, going to his room in search of his wallet, leaving the couple alone.

Alfred needed to know…Matt had made a valid point.

“Hey, Arthur, you wouldn’t drop me because I’m bad at sex, would you?”

That had Arthur staring. Staring with wide green eyes as he scoffed.

“Why would you even think that? A relationship should never be just about sex. If you were bad…then you’d just have to practice to get good. Simple as that. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’ll see you later, okay?”

Alfred nodded as he tried to grasp what Arthur had said. Mathew reappeared and went out the door with Arthur, calling for him to make sure he did all of his homework.

The blond man sat alone, mulling things over. Of course he knew it wasn’t all about sex, but he knew it played an important role. He had watched dozens of movies, talked to a few couples, and knew that if you couldn’t give, you got kicked to the curb. Arthur had put it as seeming so…easy. Could one really get good at something like sex with a little practice?

Alfred got up and went to his room. He changed into some clothes then grabbed his wallet and house key. He was going out in search for some answers, and he knew just the place to start.

* * *

Arthur was looking, he really was. But all of the places hiring were not something he would want to do after a day with rowdy high school students. He hiked up the bag he was carrying for Mathew. The Canadian was sure getting a lot of food…then again, Alfred probably ate like a horse.

They were only about halfway done and Arthur still hadn’t checked in on his house. He really hoped it was okay and not completely trashed.

Mathew lead him down yet another street, and that’s when Arthur realized where they were and saw that sign for the first time.

_Sweet Shop_   
_Escape for a reasonable price_

Arthur stopped and stared at the sign, wondering why he hadn’t seen it before. Probably because he hadn’t been looking. But there it was, big and pink, with red curly lettering. It sparkled a little too, but that might have been his imagination.

Noticing that his friend wasn’t following, Mathew looked behind him. Arthur was just…standing there, looking up at some sign. He walked back to where the other blond was.

“Arthur, what is it? …Oh, look! This shop has a help wanted poster in the window! You thinking about going in?”

That snapped Arthur out of it. He looked at the window and indeed there was a poster saying they needed help.

No. He couldn’t. It was too much of a reminder of what he had done. What he had lost. Okay, so he hadn’t lost a lot, but still. That shop was bad news. But… Something…some force made him want to go in, just to see what the pay was.

“…Yeah…I’ll go in. Wait for me at the next store, I won’t be long.”

Mathew smiled and left, leaving Arthur with the shop. He hesitantly walked up to it and pushed open the door. He stepped inside.

This time Feliciano was already there. He gave a little wave when he saw Arthur.

“Hello, Arthur! I seen you looking at the help wanted poster. So, you want to work here? I’m sure the job would be to your liking.”

Arthur truly didn’t know. Would it really? He was only good at memorizing, cleaning, and organizing.

“So, what would I have to do?”

Feliciano put a finger to his lips and tapped them.

“Hmm…What would Arthur be good at? What about one-night stands?”

“ _Excuse me?_ I may have had my fair share of them, but I’m not someone-”

“Of course you are! You’re good at faking it, right? It’s not like it would be real. You’re just an image for someone to use. A load of people come in here thinking it’s a brothel. They get a little disappointed when they see me and frightened when they see Ludwig. So, if you were here to act as a sort of attendant, then customers would feel a little less intimidated and a lot more happy!”

Arthur was taken back by this. He would be like…a what? A butler or whatever? That’s what it seemed like. Attendant… _Would you like a drink sir? Please fasten your seat belts. We will be landing soon, the weather is a beautiful twenty degrees…_

He sighed. Might as well know the pay.

“The starting wage is…?”

“Twenty-two pounds. If you do the job well, it’ll go up.”

Twenty-two pounds. That was a fair amount. Maybe he should just try it…

“…You’ve got me. I’ll attempt to make the best of this job, and stay if I like it.”

In truth, he would probably keep it because the pay was good. But Feliciano didn’t need to know that.


	9. Chapter 9

In all truth Arthur was worried about doing this so called ‘job'. After he had said he would do it, Feliciano ran off to the back and had yet to return. He was about to sit down in the only chair available because he was getting sick of standing when he heard Ludwig’s harsh voice muffled slightly coming from the back. Arthur didn’t want to be a snoop, but he was all in for knowing what was going on if he was working for the two men now.

Arthur glanced around before sliding up to the door and standing to the side of it. He pressed his ear to the wall and listened.

“I told you we didn’t need any help! Why did you put that sign in the window?”

“Aww, Ludwig! I think it’ll be fun to have a cutie for people to look at! You always get mad when people try to touch me and this is the perfect chance.”

Arthur frowned. So Ludwig didn’t want anyone else working here. And what did Feliciano mean people trying to touch him?

“Of course I get mad! You are my… Look. He can’t know. No one can but me, you, and our brothers. _No one else_. What if Arthur found out? He already can see them, he just doesn’t realize it yet.”

This had Arthur confused. He couldn’t know what? Were Ludwig and Feliciano… _aliens?_ It had seemed that Ludwig had the power to take memories, but that could have just been a side effect of the drug. This was getting odd.

“I promise he won’t find out! _Pleaseeee,_ Ludwig? He could help business, I know it. Plus people would stop going after me. He’ll be okay, we’ve been doing good so far.”

“…I don’t know…We could try it, I guess. If he _does_ find out though, then you’re going to be the one who has to deal with it.”

“Ah, thank you, Ludwig! I’ll try my best!”

He heard the doorknob click, and ran back to the chair, panting slightly. Feliciano saw him and smiled.

“Sorry for the wait. Let’s see…You don’t need a uniform, just make sure to look your best, okay?”

Arthur calmed his breath and nodded.

“Um, can I have a chair too, or something…Or do I have to stand the whole time? Oh yes, and can I start tomorrow? I actually have to go meet up with someone now…”

Feliciano smiled. “No, you don’t have to stand the whole time, I’ll get you a chair too. Yes, you will be starting tomorrow at eight AM sharp! See you tomorrow, Arthur.”

The British man tipped his head in goodbye and walked out of the shop. He scanned the streets and other stores, looking for one that Mathew might be in. Spending almost twenty minutes searching in food shops, Arthur found his friend in a toy store, staring at stuffed polar bears. Or he thought they were polar bears. They were just white bears.

“Mathew, what are you doing in here?”

The other man was startled when Arthur came up behind him, but let out a quick breath and smiled softly.

“I seen these bears and couldn’t resist. I know I already have a few, but I don’t think one more would hurt…”

Arthur resisted the urge to laugh. Mathew was such a kid sometimes.

* * *

Alfred looked down at his phone, checking if the address was right. It was. He walked up to the house and knocked on the door.

Not a minute later a man with short black hair and dark eyes answered.

“Hello, Mr. Jones. What brings you here?”

Alfred went inside when the man moved and motioned for him to do so. Alfred had never been in this guy’s house before and was looking forward to it.

“I told you, Kiku, call me Alfred. I just stopped by for some…advice.”

Kiku lead Alfred to his living room, which was set in a more Japanese style than regular couch and TV. There in fact were no couch or TV, just a large mat with a low table on it with soft cushions placed around the table.

Alfred sat down on one of the cushions and watched as Kiku took a seat across from him.

“Would you like some tea?”

“Eh, not really. Still ain’t used to that stuff.”

Kiku nodded and folded his hands in his lap. It had been quite some time since he had last seen Alfred. The last time was when he first met him at one of the train stations here in Britain. The man was utterly lost and said he couldn’t find his brother or the platform he was supposed to be at. Kiku had helped him and reluctantly given over his contact information to Alfred when the man insisted he have it. Later on that week Kiku had gotten a bunch of random gifts from Alfred saying how thankful he was.

“What advice can I offer you?”

Alfred stared at the spotless table in front of him. What did he want to know? He knew that Kiku had to have some experience with relationships. He looked older, probably late twenties or even thirties. He definitely had to have had a girlfriend or something in his life time. He could have one now.

“Kiku… are you in a relationship with anyone right now?”

The smaller man blushed lightly but other than that his face stayed the same blank slate.

“It is… complicated. So it this about relationships?”

The blond man ran a hand through his hair. How to put things? It was a little awkward.

“Well… Did you ever like someone a lot and they liked you too, and now you just have gotten together with them and they are totally experienced and you know nothing…Like maybe they are your first or you know… _that_ kind of thing…”

Kiku’s face remained stained pink, although expressionless.

“…I would say I have. Almost that exactly. The person I was with knew it all while I knew nothing. It took some time. Eventually everything was less complicated the more we found out about each other. Time is a key element in relationships. Have I helped you any?”

Alfred flashed a grin. “Sure have! You’re pretty amazing, you know that, Kiku? Ah, but I should get going. I have to stop at this place and then get home before Matt does! Thanks for your help again!”

The man stood and left Kiku with a heart that was beating just a little too fast. When Alfred had closed the door behind him, Kiku slowly got up and walked over to a nearby window. He gazed out at the sun bathed landscape and busy life going on outside his house.

_If only I was younger._

* * *

Alfred stared at the pink and red sign before confirming that this was the place. He had read in a fashion magazine (It was Mathew’s and he was bored, sue him) on the back page a little advertisement for a certain shop that let you have an escape. Alfred had thought it was maybe a club or bar and had written down the address.

Now here he was, reading the sign and knowing that it probably wasn’t a club, or even a bar. He opened the door and was a little surprised to see a single chair in an empty black room. He shut the door behind himself and walked to the chair. Then he saw a door at the back and instead went for that. He got to the door and turned the knob. The door opened smoothly and he was granted access.

The inside of the room was large, with rows and rows of shelves holding little containers of every color liquid imaginable. Alfred looked at this with confusion, not knowing what they were. He then spotted little name tags under each jar, and that the rows of jars went in depth along the shelf they were on. Everything was alphabetized.

Fleetingly he decided to look for ‘Arthur Kirkland’. Alfred scanned the golden plates until he came upon ‘Arthur’. There were several Arthurs and he had to go down the line until he found the one he was looking for. He couldn’t believe it. Why was Arthur’s name here? The first jar above his name was a red one, with shiny liquid that almost looked like that old silly putty that came in a plastic egg and could be pressed to newspaper to take the ink lettering…

This was just too weird. Alfred had to check to see if his own name was there. He again searched the shelves, but only found a few other Alfreds, none of them having the last name Jones. That was strange…although, he had never been in this shop before. Maybe that was it. But why had Arthur been in here a couple times then? What exactly was this place?

A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and Alfred spun around with wide, fearful eyes.

Feliciano smiled at him. It seemed a little fake though.

“Hello, Alfred. This isn’t a room you should be in. The waiting area is out in the other room. Sorry if I wasn’t present when you arrived. Let’s go out there, shall we?”

Alfred swallowed and followed the man out, wondering how he knew his name. He was told to sit on the only chair available and watched as Feliciano reached into his pocket. A syringe with rainbow shimmering liquid was pulled out, and Alfred stared at it. He didn’t know of any drugs that were so colorful.

Feliciano grabbed his right arm in a harsh grip and before Alfred could protest he shoved the needle into his skin. Alfred’s vision swirled and melted, leaving him losing consciousness fast.

“You have a day. Sweet dreams, Alfred. Payment will be received in full when you awaken.”

Then Alfred was lost to the real world.

* * *

Mathew hurriedly pushed the door to his house open, the bags in his arms threatening to fall. He stumbled to the kitchen table and set them down, breathing a sigh of relief. He moved so Arthur could also set some bags down.

After the heap of groceries were all on the table, Mathew called for Alfred. He waited and heard nothing but music coming from his brother’s room. He shrugged and figured he was working on homework so instead turned to Arthur.

“Hey, want to help me put this stuff away? I usually make Alfred help but he’s probably in a bad mood.”

Arthur started to help Mathew put things where they belonged. While Mathew took the refrigerated items, he took some of the bags to the pantry. He tried to figure out what he was going to say to Alfred as he stacked cans of fruit and vegetables. What questions should he ask to get to know Alfred better? Mathew too. He really liked that sweet boy.

Arthur’s hand touched a smooth tube of icing and he pulled it up and set it on the shelf in front of him. It took him a few more items before he saw that no, that tube wasn’t icing. It was lube.

“What?” Arthur’s eyes went wide and he grabbed the tube and threw it back into the bag. He chanced a glance and yes, there was also a suspicious box that didn’t look like tuna helper.

“Arthur? You done with that bag yet?” Mathew called.

Arthur pressed his cold hands to his face, trying to cool it down.

“Y-yes. I’ll bring it out.”

He hoped that Mathew wouldn’t question where his personal things went. Arthur reluctantly grabbed the items and sneaked to the bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet, which was quite large, and shoved the things inside. Arthur whistled a little tune as he carried the now empty bag back to the kitchen and set it on the table to be with its friends.

“Thank you, Arthur. Find a place for everything?”

“Ah, yes. Yep, everything went in its place…”

Mathew nodded and emptied the last bag. He stopped though when everything was put away, seeming to think over the list he had stored in his head.

Arthur knew it. He was wondering where his sex helpers went. He watched as Mathew checked each bag again and frowned.

“Um, Arthur-”

“Bathroom. I didn’t…know where to put it, so…”

Both men stared at each other, faces red. Mathew offered a smile and nodded.

“Ah, okay. Thank you. Do you want something to drink, like tea or coffee?”

Arthur took a seat at the table and started collecting the plastic bags into one.

“Some tea, please. Any kind you have is fine.”

Mathew put on a kettle and went off. To where Arthur didn’t know. He sat quietly once all the bags were gathered. Then his attention turned to the large stuffed bear sitting across from him in a chair. Only it’s head was visible, but it was sort of adorable. He still couldn’t believe Mathew had bought it.

Said man came walking back into the kitchen, checked on the water, then leaned against the side of the refrigerator. He saw Arthur staring at his new stuffed animal.

“I know I shouldn’t have, but he was just too cute. It was one of the only ones I myself had to buy. I usually get them from boyfriends and Alfred. I can’t seem to get it into my head that I have enough.”

Arthur smiled at that, and looked over to Mathew. He was going to comment but the kettle whistled and Mathew turned to it. He poured two cups of the hot water and added the tea bags. He set these on the table along with some sugar.

Tea sounded really nice right now actually and Arthur grabbed his cup, taking a small tentative sip. It didn’t need anything added. Mathew on the other hand added a couple scoops of sugar. He looked like the kind to enjoy things a little bit sweeter.

The men drank in silence, the only sound was the ticking of a large clock in the other room and of Alfred’s music that lightly pulsed through the walls into the kitchen.

Arthur could…get used to this. Living with these two brothers. It was as soothing as it was hectic. He didn’t want to make anyone feel uncomfortable though. He also loved his own house.

Oh, shit.

“Bollocks! I’m sorry, Mathew, but I completely forgot to go check on my house. It’s probably destroyed by now. I have to go and see. I’ll be back for dinner…ah, I’m sorry! I didn’t even ask if I could stay. Forgive me, Mathew, I-”

“Arthur, settle down! It’s okay. Go check on your house. And of course you can stay for dinner. See you then.” Mathew couldn’t help but laugh.

Arthur nodded and drained his cup before standing and heading out the door. He really hoped everything was okay.


	10. Chapter 10

He was back in America.

Alfred knew this because he was now at his house prior to his move to Britain. Standing in the middle of his room, surrounded by some of the things he had taken with him. This was weird…

Looking around, Alfred saw that everything had a slight glow about it and was in the exact opposite of where it used to be. Other than that, everything was the same. Not as he had left it, but before he had moved. The house had been sold…So why was it back to how he had known it?

Alfred walked out of his room and into the rest of the house. Same here too. So he went outside and there it all was, the busy streets of New York City.

He didn’t recognize any of the people.

Which was odd… He knew just about everyone in his neighborhood. But the people walking around, not one of them was familiar.

The blond stood on his porch, looking out into the life he had left. He had wanted to leave. America had been closing in on him, and he couldn’t get anything done, especially not school. It was good he moved. Plus, he had meet Arthur…

Arthur.

The man was standing in front of him. Alfred, shocked, took a step back. Why was Arthur here suddenly?

“A-Arthur…What are you doing here?”

The man in front of him tilted his head to one side, giving Alfred a curious look.

“What do you mean? You wanted me here, so I’m here.”

Okay? This didn’t make much sense.

“In America? I don’t even know how I got here. This must be a dream. Here, pinch me.”

Alfred held out his arm, instantly noticing an odd swirled rainbow tattoo. It was kind of cute, but totally not him. He poked at it, feeling a shock of electricity go through him. Then heat, trickling throughout his body, making his eyes glaze over. He stared at Arthur, feeling oddly horny all of a sudden. All he had done was touch that damn mark.

With a quick tug, Arthur was pulled into the house after Alfred. The door was slammed shut, Arthur’s back being pushed up against it roughly. His mouth was attacked by an eager American, whose tongue pushed in harshly. Alfred didn’t know what had come over him, but Arthur looked really good right about now. He wanted him bad, even though part of his mind screamed for him to stop. But there was something burning away that thought and replacing it with desire.

Alfred’s hands reached down and tugged at Arthur’s pants, popping the button out and sliding them down with his boxers. Arthur showed no resistance, going along with it. Alfred smirked against the mouth on his and pulled away, giving the lips in front of him a quick lick. He grabbed his own pants and slid them down, happy to know that he wasn’t wearing any underwear. His hand picked up Arthur’s leg and threw it over his shoulder, then did the same with the other one.

_Wait…Should I be doing this? But it has to be a dream. I guess I’ll go with it…I think I need some lube or something though. Why does it feel like I’ve did this before, even though I haven’t? Must be instinct…_

When he looked down at Arthur, there was a bottle sitting on his lap. Well, that was convenient, but where had it come from? Arthur grabbed it, popped the top and squeezed, letting the liquid fill his hand. He kept Arthur propped against the door, the Brit breathing heavily and whispering his name in sexy little whimpers. Alfred reached down and searched out the spot he was looking for. His finger slid in easily, and he was relieved he was doing things right. His patience was running thin though, so he finished shoving in two more fingers, spreading them around, before taking them out.

He took his cock in his hand and pumped slowly, watching Arthur’s face. The man he held up stretched his hands out and softly seized Alfred’s shoulders. He pushed his head forward, mouth coming to his neck and biting softly before giving it sweet kisses and pulling back to thump his head against the wood behind him.

Alfred stopped pumping himself and instead positioned the tip at his love’s entrance. His breath caught as he let it slid in slowly and surprisingly easily. After the first push in the bottle that had been on Arthur’s lap fell to the ground. Alfred didn’t even notice. He was surrounded by tight heat, and was urged to thrust and thrust hard. So he did.

Arthur’s back was sure to be hurting, the way it moved up and down against the door. Alfred was pumping his hips in a fast motion, panting and staring into Arthur’s emerald eyes. He mouthed something, and was going to repeat it louder when he felt his stomach tighten. He couldn’t last, not like this. Alfred pressed his lips to Arthur’s for a quick kiss, then pulled away.

Heat rushed through him, eyes going wide before closing tightly. Alfred’s hips pushed slower, riding out the waves of pleasure. He didn’t even notice that Arthur hadn’t come, too dizzy and satisfied. But that seemed to be okay with the Brit. Alfred let Arthur down to the floor. He was about to ask if Arthur wanted to go again but the man disappeared. Alfred stared at the spot, knowing now that this had to be a dream.

At least it was a pretty good dream.

* * *

Arthur ran all the way. He was in no way the fastest runner, but he wasn’t the slowest either. His house came into view and relief washed over him. At least the outside looked all right and was not burnt to the ground. He jogged up to the door and gently touched the handle. It was probably unlocked…

He applied pressure and turned the knob, the door opening. Arthur stepped into the slightly dark hallway. He closed the door silently behind him and crept to the living room. He was about to look around the corner when he heard talking.

“Bastard, we just did it a couple hours ago! Why don’t you get that German guy to let you fuck him?”

“Come on Lovi, you know Gilbert’s only a top. Well, most of the time.”

“Don’t call me that! I don’t care, we aren’t doing it. I only came over here because you had booze.”

Arthur recognized both voices. One of Antonio and the other of that feisty Italian guy, Feliciano’s brother or something. He strained his ears in case more was said but it was silent. Arthur took a chance and peeked his head around and looked into the room.

It was…sort of a mess. Nothing looked broken, so that was good. Gilbert was on his favourite chair, Francis next to him on the floor. Roderich was nowhere to be seen. Antonio was lying on the couch, that ‘Lovi’ guy stretched out on top of him. Those two were the only ones awake.

Arthur sighed and turned, walking into the kitchen. There was a giant pile of dishes in the sink. He didn’t want to look in his refrigerator, but opened it anyway.

The only thing left was some yogurt.

Arthur slammed it closed. Leave it to Antonio and Gilbert to eat everything. He stomped out into the living room, grabbing Antonio’s arm and pulling him off the couch. This of course brought Romano down with him and he barely missed the table a few feet away.

Next, Arthur went over to Gilbert and slid behind the chair he was on. He pushed it as hard as he could, relishing in the way it tipped over on top of Gilbert, trapping him beneath it. It had also landed on Francis’s leg, and the Frenchman yelped in pain when it came crashing down.

Arthur stared at the men he had defeated. They were all grumbling and in Gilbert’s case struggling to get out from under a large chair. He eventually did and all four of his unwelcome guest stood, staring at him in disbelief. Arthur put his hands on his hips and smirked.

“Are you all ready to get out of my house? That is, _after_ you clean up the mess you made and _after_ you restock the fridge.”

Antonio tried to talk, but Gilbert interrupted him.

“Look man, you could have stayed. But no, you had to go off with my bunny boy’s bro, so it’s your loss, not mine.”

Arthur’s smirk faded, leaving an angry frown.

“Don’t you dare talk about Mathew like that. Now, all of you, get cleaning. I’m not letting you go until everything is back to the way it was.”

Before he had finished, Romano was gone, having run out the door so fast Antonio didn’t notice until he heard the slam. Arthur clapped his hands and ordered the others to get to work while he went to guard the door. No way any of them were leaving without fixing their mess.

Arthur hoped they’d be done by dinner time. He had to get back to Alfred and Matt’s.

* * *

After exploring New York City until midnight, Alfred went back to his house. He was going to turn on the TV when suddenly everything went dizzy and exploded in color before turning black.

Slowly there was light. Alfred looked around, and there stood Feliciano, this evil grin plastered to his face. Suddenly, large gloved hands clutched his head from behind. Feliciano came in close, staring at him.

“So, have fun? I hope so. Now, remember when you went in the back room? Yeah, think about that, think about what you saw.”

Alfred didn’t know why the man was asking him to think about that, but the thought bubbled into his head as soon as Feliciano had said the words, and suddenly a soothing feeling went through his head. He closed his eyes and didn’t see the bright yellow liquid that filled a jar on the floor. When the feeling stopped, Alfred opened his eyes.

“Good. Say, remember when you tried to ask me out? That was funny, wasn’t it?”

Feliciano gave Alfred a sweet smile this time.

Alfred didn’t think that time had been very funny. He thought about it clearly, and then that feeling was back and the thought disappeared.

What had he been thinking about?

Ludwig let go of Alfred and scooped up the two jars on the floor before leaving the room. Feliciano kept his eyes on the blond in the chair.

“So, how’ve you been, Alfred? I heard you’re dating Arthur.”

Alfred nodded, eyes searching the room. Why had he come here again? Oh yes, answers. Mainly about that thing called love.

“Ah, I’ve been good. This is your shop? What’s it for?”

“I’ll tell you later. So, did you come here to talk to me?”

“Ah…okay. And yeah. I was wondering… When you and your partner…first did it…what was it like? Sorry if I’m intruding, ya know, just maybe forget it. Or if you’re not even dating! Oh man, I mean, I can see if you don’t want to tell me anything …”

Alfred tried not to think back to what he had been dreaming about. He couldn’t believe what had come over him. He didn’t want Arthur just for sex. He wanted a relationship, something that actually meant something and had feelings. Alfred was a little upset that he let his mind go so far in that dream. Why had he even fallen asleep in the first place?

“That’s all? Yes, we are together and well, it was…nice. You just have to go slow and listen to your partner. You’re still a virgin, right? Haha, don’t get angry, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m happy you’re waiting for that special person. Ah, look at the time! Shouldn’t you be going?”

Alfred, still confused and a little huffy, stood and said his goodbyes. He wanted to get home and see if Arthur was there. He was getting hungry too. Next time he came, he would definitely be questioning Feliciano; he had just remembered that needle and crazy look the other had given him. But now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.

* * *

A Ninja. He needed to move like one, be like one. It was him against Mathew. He hoped to God that Matt had fallen for his trick of the music. It was six and they would be eating soon.

Alfred snuck up to his shared house, trying to look into the window. He saw an empty kitchen with a cup on the table. No Mathew anywhere. Alfred went back to the door, knowing it was unlocked, and slowly, silently, turned the handle. The door opened without a sound, and Alfred slunk in.

The only light on in the kitchen was the one over the stove. Alfred took a breath and held it. He walked slowly to his room, making sure the floor didn’t squeak or anything. Seeing the bathroom door closed, Alfred let out a quick breath. As long as Mathew was in there-

The door opened and Mathew came out. He blinked in surprise at seeing his brother.

“Oh, Alfred. Finally come out of your room? Why do you have your jacket on? Is it that cold in here? I’ll turn up the…wait, why are your boots on too?”

It took Mathew a little while to piece it together. When he did, his lavender eyes widened, then narrowed.

“You…You haven’t been here this whole time have you? Why didn’t I look and actually see if you were here? Dammit, Alfred!”

Alfred crept to his room, saying, “Calm down, Mattie. I just stepped outside for a little while. I went to go get some…cough drops. Yep.”

Mathew stepped in front of his brother and held out his hand.

“So, where are they? Give me the bag.”

Alfred smiled and shook his head.

“I ate them all, sorry. They were cherry flavored and tasted like candy. You know how much I like candy…”

Mathew wasn’t buying it. Alfred was such a little liar. It had only taken years of living with him to perfect the sense of knowing if he was lying or not.

“You…You are…I don’t even know! Just tell me where you actually went and why. Don’t even try to lie.”

The American sighed. “I went to that shop, The Sweet Shop or whatever it’s called. Feliciano, you know, from school, works there. So I asked him for some advice. Ah, I went to Kiku’s too, that guy who helped me find you that one time? Yea, him. That’s all, I swear.”

Mathew demanded for more details, and Alfred reluctantly gave them.

* * *

Arthur finally had a clean house and refrigerator full of food. He waved off Gilbert and Francis and turned to Antonio, who was pouting at the kitchen table.

“Now now, you knew what you were getting yourself into. I’m going to go to Alfred’s now, so take care of this place. No parties. I mean it. And only eat a couple things, not everything we just bought today. I’ll be back later, around eight or so. See you.”

Arthur grabbed his coat and left Antonio to fend for himself.

* * *

Since walking was boring when quiet, Arthur hummed a small tune as he walked the street to Alfred and Mathew’s house. He stopped when he got to the front door. Should he knock, or go right in? It was probably more polite to knock, so he did, lightly. He waited a minute and there was no answer. Arthur frowned.

Well, maybe it was okay to go in, just to make sure everything was all right. Arthur pushed open the door slowly and stepped inside. He instantly heard voices and moved in closer to hear them.

“-went and sat down, and Feliciano shoved this huge needle into my arm! I’m okay, really. Then I was asleep, because I had this dream…That I was back in America in our old house. Then I…then I woke up and Feliciano was there again and he told me to think about some things, I can’t remember what-”

Arthur stepped closer, not wanting to eavesdrop, but it had sounded like Alfred had went to the Sweet Shop. He hoped not…

“I asked Feli about relationship advice and he gave me some, so then I left and came straight home, I swear! Sorry I left without telling you, but I needed to go.”

Arthur took it upon himself to make his presence known, so he knocked on the wall and stepped into view, his eyes falling on the blond brothers.

Alfred smiled at seeing him, then blushed, as if remembering something. But he walked over to Arthur anyway and gave him a quick hug before continuing to the kitchen. Mathew followed, offering a small smile to Arthur.

Arthur joined the other two in the kitchen and sat down at the table next to Alfred. Mathew took the empty cup and put it in the sink before opening a cupboard and looking through it.

“Does spaghetti sound good? With corn, garlic bread, and cottage cheese?”

Alfred gave a loud cheerful yes and Arthur agreed it would be fine. While Mathew made dinner, Arthur turned in his seat to face Alfred. The man smiled at him, cheeks still tinted pink. It was funny, because usually Alfred didn’t blush when looking at him.

“Alfred, what’s up? I…I’m sorry, but I overheard you and Mathew talking about you going to a shop?”

Alfred looked sheepish at first, then nodded.

“Yeah, but only because Feliciano, the guy who owns it, used to go to school with me. I went over there for some advice…But he stuck this needle in my arm and I had a fucked up dream, but I’m okay! I’ll talk to him about it later.”

Arthur was going to comment, but then remembered something. He had agreed to work tomorrow. At eight. In the morning. Arthur excused himself and stepped into the living room, pulling out his cell phone. He searched for the number of the Sweet Shop and called it. The phone rang twice before it was picked up.

_“Hello! This is Feliciano, how may I help you?”_

“Ah yes, Feliciano, this is Arthur. I’m sorry, but I said that I could work at eight in the morning, but I can’t. I work at the school from eight to three thirty. Could I come by later?”

_“Sure thing, we don’t usually get customers until later at night anyway. How about instead of eight a.m., we make it eight p.m. Sound good?”_

“Yes, I will make sure to be there. Thank you. Bye.”

_“Goodbye, Arthur.”_

Arthur closed his phone, went back into the kitchen, and sat down.

“Now, Alfred. About that shop. I suggest you not get involved with it. It’s a waste of time and I’m only going to be working there for a little while to get some money. Promise me you won’t go there again?”

Alfred didn’t see why it was so bad. He had a pretty sweet dream. Well, it was sort of sweet. But if Arthur didn’t want him to go, he wouldn’t. He wanted Arthur to trust him. Still, Alfred would have to sneak there sometime to question Feliciano, but not for a while.

The blond man said he wouldn’t go and reached atop the table to grab Arthur’s hands. He rubbed circles with his thumbs and stared at Arthur. Would they become closer and closer each day? Alfred wanted to know everything about Arthur. Everything. All the little secrets and childhood memories. He would gladly tell his own. Mathew interrupted the moment though by telling Alfred to get some plates.

Alfred let go of the smaller hands and retrieved three plates, forks, and cups. He set them out on the table and ruffled Arthur’s already messy hair on his way back to his seat. Arthur tried to flatten the mess but tilted his lips in a smile nevertheless. Mathew brought over a pot of strained noodles, a bowl of corn, a plate of garlic bread, and a pan of tomato sauce. He got out the cottage cheese and asked what everyone wanted to drink, then retrieved what was requested.

Finally, they were going to eat. Alfred eagerly scooped buttery noodles onto his plate followed by spoonfuls of tasty sauce and whatever else was in reach. Arthur did the same, only not taking as much as Alfred did. That boy could eat. He had probably participated in pie eating contests back in America.

There was some light talking, mostly of how Arthur had made the party animals clean his house from ceiling to floor and buy him a hundred pounds worth of groceries. Alfred complimented him on his authority and Arthur smirked, then told of how he wished he could have been a police officer. College had been too expensive though and he hadn’t had the money at the time.

When the meal was over with everyone full, Arthur said he had to leave.

“Well, it is getting late, and we all have school tomorrow. You better get your homework done, Alfred.”

Alfred huffed, crossing his arms.

“You sound like my mother. Actually worse, more like Mathew.”

Mathew scowled and Arthur bit back his laugh. Alfred said he’d see Arthur to the door and followed him the few steps to it, opening it and letting in the cool evening air. Arthur had kept on his coat and went outside, knowing Alfred would follow. He did, and closed the door behind him, leaning against it.

The porch light suddenly came on and Alfred smiled, knowing it was Mathew who had turned it on for them.

Before Arthur had time to run away home, Alfred stepped up to the other and took his chin in his hand. He dipped his head and planted a sweet, lingering kiss to Arthur’s lips. He pulled away slowly and dropped his hand.

“See you tomorrow, Arthur.”

Alfred waited for a response. Arthur blinked a couple times before gathering his thoughts.

“Ah, yeah, see you, Alfred.”

Just as Arthur turned to leave, a hand caught his sleeve and pulled. Arthur stopped and looked at Alfred.

“Sorry. I forgot to ask if you wanted to…go out for a little while tomorrow after school. Like, to the next town over. We could pack a picnic or something and chill…God, I sound so corny! Never mind, it’s fine if-”

“I’d love too.”

Alfred stared at Arthur as the other man lifted up Alfred’s warm hand and gave it a quick kiss. He turned and this time left without being stopped. Arthur could feel Alfred’s gaze on his back as he walked the street home. When he turned a corner, the heat on his back was gone.

He was going on a date…An actual date with the man he was coming to love more and more each day. Arthur couldn’t help but smile and let out a breathy laugh. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Insert shameless fluff chapter here.

“Alfred, wake up already! We’re going to be late for school.”

The blond being addressed huffed and slowly sat up in bed. Monday was it? Damn. The weekend had went by all too fast. Alfred slid out of bed and started to get ready for the day. He had reluctantly attempted to do his homework at about midnight and ended up scribbling random answers. The only good thing about today was seeing Arthur…

Oh… Seeing Arthur! On a date.

Alfred smiled and strutted into the bathroom. A date. With Arthur. It was pretty much a dream come true. His attitude and feelings for the other had changed drastically since he had confronted Arthur for the first time. Today was pretty much going to be amazing

* * *

Mathew and Alfred walked to school in silence. They usually did, though it only took them about fifteen minutes to get there. Mathew liked to take in the world around him, and since it was normally raining, he would pop up his umbrella and walk just a little bit slower. Alfred on the other hand would throw on a rain jacket and run as fast as he could to school. To him, umbrellas were girly and could easily get blown inside out. Talk about embarrassing.

Today it wasn’t raining. The sun was just peeking over the buildings and giving off a warm glow. Mathew smiled brightly along with the star while Alfred put some ear buds in and turned up the volume on his ipod. It was nice to actually get to use the electronic device. At home he usually played music from his computer. They couldn’t listen to their ipods at school so it was cool to get in some early morning tunes.

When they finally arrived at school, Alfred and Mathew went their separate ways. They had different morning classes and their lockers were pretty far apart. Alfred put his ipod away for fear of it being snatched by a teacher and gathered his books for his first class. He couldn’t wait for study hall to see Arthur.

* * *

Arthur pulled out a pair of glasses from his breast pocket, looking again at the computer screen. He read the same line clearly over and over. He then slipped the glasses off and back into the pocket. Arthur let out a sigh.

“You look really hot in those. I think you should wear them more often.”

That was Alfred, always the instigator whenever they were at school. Arthur couldn’t believe that Alfred was almost a completely different person here. Then again, this was his place. A place he spent almost forty hours a week at. Though Arthur still didn’t get how Alfred went from sweet and innocent to sly and forward. It was a mystery.

“What is with you? This is the you I first met.” _The one that got me hot under the collar._

Alfred smirked, something that looked almost sinister on his face.

“You like me this way, _old man?_ ”

Arthur narrowed his eyes. “Watch your mouth. It’s not that I like or dislike this you. It’s just… different than the you yesterday, and the day before that.”

The younger man looked around, making sure the area was clear before hoisting himself up on the counter in front of him and leaning over towards Arthur. He reached out and grabbed his boyfriend’s chin. Meeting no resistance Alfred pulled his hand forward and Arthur came with, their lips bumping together before Arthur ripped his head away, blushing fiercely.

“Just what are you doing?! We are in school! If someone saw us-”

“Yea yea! Just trying to have some fun. I don’t know what it is, but the thought of doing dirty things with you in here is…” Alfred trailed off, a smile forming instead of words.

Arthur rolled his eyes and pushed the pervert off his counter. Alfred reluctantly went back to his seat. He needed school to be over _now._

* * *

“Don’t you dare look! We’re almost there!”

Arthur kept the blindfold on. It seemed to have been a half an hour since he had gotten in the car with Alfred. When school was over they had went to their own houses, and Alfred came by twenty minutes with a blind fold and his car.

Now they were on the road and Alfred was practically vibrating with excitement. He had the spot picked, the things packed, everything was how it should be.

Then, Alfred let out a cheer that signaled they were there.

“Take off the blindfold.”

Arthur slowly untied the piece of cloth and pulled it away from his eyes.

There were a lot of flowers, all of which were different colors spread out all over the place. Then there was a castle and a bridge leading to it and it all looked so familiar…

“Oh my God… Colchester Castle Park? Is it Castle Park? I…I remember coming here when I was a kid…we’d sit here and watch the summer fireworks…”

While Arthur was reliving his childhood Alfred got out of the car after popping the truck. He gathered up the things he had brought and went off in search of a good spot.

Arthur quickly undid his seatbelt when he saw Alfred running off somewhere. He grabbed the keys Alfred had left in the ignition, locked the car, and went off after him. He wanted to walk slowly and enjoy the nature, but Alfred was calling to him, telling him to hurry up. Soon the sound of a small spring hit Arthur’s ears and Alfred came into view.

There was already a white and red checkered blanket spread out on the ground with Alfred on top of it, rummaging through a picnic basket.

Arthur walked over and sat down next to Alfred. It was…sort of romantic for Alfred to want a picnic as their first date. Romantic and sweet and while he liked the seductive school Alfred, he loved this Alfred.

There was a clink of glass, and Arthur thought of wine. His thoughts were reality as Alfred pulled out a dark red bottle from the large wicker basket. Alfred handed the bottle over and Arthur held it up to inspect it.

“Two thousand and four San Francisco Bay Zinfandel. Nice choice. Though I doubt you picked this out by yourself.”

Alfred laughed and took out two plastic cups from the basket. He handed one to Arthur.

“Well, I was at this café once with Matt, and the guy was totally hitting on him. They were speaking French so I didn’t know what they were saying, but anyways Matt told me that he’d meet up with me later. So I left and when I saw him later, he was carrying that bottle, this huge smile on his face. Not to mention this bright red blush that went all the way to his ears. He acted all innocent and said the guy just gave it to him. I think I know what really happened.”

Arthur hummed and popped the stopper carefully, making sure the liquid didn’t spill everywhere. As he poured two cups, he started to think. A café…with a French guy…Arthur didn’t even want to know if it was Francis because it sounded just like him to exchange wine for sex.

He handed Alfred a full cup and put the cork back in the bottle before setting it down. Arthur brought his own cup up to his lips and took a small sip. It was good, though he liked wine that was less fruity and American but more hard and British. But the taste was rich and smooth and Arthur found himself draining the cup before he knew it.

The sound of crunching paper filled the silence as Alfred pulled out a brown paper bag and reached inside. He pulled out a sleeve of crackers and three blocks of cheese, all different kinds. Arthur stared at the rectangles. Red Leicester, Morangie Brie, and Gubbeen. England, Scotland, and Ireland’s top three cheeses. Alfred had really done a great job with this.

Arthur looked up from the cheese and at Alfred, but the American was looking at the small spring that was a few feet away from them. He had a distant look in his eyes. Arthur didn’t want to disturb him by saying anything, so he didn’t. A few minutes later and Alfred spoke.

“This is really nice, ya know? Just you and me and this place,” Alfred paused for a moment to look at Arthur. “Want to talk? Just about anything really.”

Arthur set down his empty cup. Alfred wanted to talk, to get to know him? Who knew this American was such a sweetheart? He watched as Alfred sat up a little, eyes still on each other.

“Ah, well, let’s see. Anything? I…love romantic things. Like this. There’s just something about them that makes me really happy. No one’s ever wanted a real relationship with me before.”

Alfred had just grabbed the crackers and when Arthur said his last sentence he dropped them.

“What! Who wouldn’t want to shower you with gifts? Is it because the look you put on says ‘Fuck me now or get out. I don’t want to see you after that’?”

Alfred laughed loudly, but Arthur didn’t find it very funny. He didn’t have that kind of look, did he? Sure, his one night stands were just that; one night stands. It was also true that he hadn’t really wanted a solid relationship until now. It just took the right person to come along.

While Alfred picked the crackers back up and opened them, Arthur looked out at the scenery, taking in the blossoming buds on trees and lush green grass. He was thankful that it wasn’t raining for once. Arthur turned to Alfred.

“Look here, you. It may be true that this is my first proper date, but it is for you too. I have never shown anyone such a look. Stop making things up… Let’s see, what else? Oh yes. I love fantasy. Books I mean. Fairies and magic and -”

“Whoa! Wait! Fairies? Haha! You don’t look like someone who likes fantasy. I like superpowers and crime fighters. In comic form, with lots of pictures. I hate books with big words and nothing to look at.”

Arthur grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled his glass. Alfred was such a child sometimes. Arthur still couldn’t help but love everything about the man. He was a total sap and he knew it.

Alfred put a cracker with cheese on it in front of his face and Arthur blinked. He looked down at it and opened his mouth to ask what kind it was because he only really liked the Red Leicester, when it was shoved into his mouth and he was forced to eat it.

The American chuckled at Alfred’s display of chewing and swallowing hard. At least it was the kind he liked. He took a large gulp of wine to wash it down. Then he threw a glare at Alfred.

“Warn me next time. Want me to choke?”

“Sure I do! Then I could give you mouth to mouth.”

Arthur dropped the glare and just stared. He didn’t feel all that safe anymore if Alfred didn’t even know what to do if someone choked.

“Alfred, if I choke you would have do the Heimlich maneuver…Mouth to mouth is for resuscitation, like if I took in too much water in my lungs. I hope you know this…?”

The bright blond stared blankly at him. Then he laughed, which sounded fake, and assured Arthur that he was just kidding and knew what both were.

They sat silently for a while, eating the snacks and drinking the wine until the bottle was almost empty. Alfred rummaged through the basket again and pulled out a box that looked suspiciously like chocolate.

“So Arthur, what’s your favorite kind of chocolate from one of these variety boxes?”

Alfred set the box in his lap and looked expectantly at Arthur. The box was a glossy white with a brown bow.

“Um…I really don’t like chocolate too much. But if I had to choose…Something with raspberry?”

The lid was taken off and Arthur stared at the assortment of forty-two chocolates. That was kind of a lot. Alfred looked at the inside of the lid and searched for the right one. He scanned his hand over the light and dark shapes before landing on a black rectangle. He picked it up and held it out for Arthur.

The Brit took it, looking it over. Hopefully Alfred hadn’t made a mistake and picked out an orange one or something…Arthur attentively bit off a small piece, chewing it slowly. He let out a small sigh. It was raspberry. The rest of the chocolate was put into his mouth and chewed thoroughly.

Alfred watched as a pleased look came over Arthur’s face as he turned to him.

“That was…pretty good. Been a while since I have had chocolate that tasted…not so much like chocolate.”

Alfred grinned and grabbed a regular caramel piece. He didn’t care for the ones like coconut or marmalade, he just wanted some good ol’ plain chocolate and caramel.

Arthur was handed another piece and Alfred mumbled out it was molasses. Arthur was okay with that, not remembering what it tasted like though. The wind picked up and blew warm air across both men’s faces. They sat, enjoying the time they had before Arthur had to go to work. Speaking of which…Arthur still needed to tell his boyfriend.

“Alfred, I have to be home before eight. I have to go to work then.”

He checked his watch, seeing that it was only five. They still had a few hours to laze about and talk. Arthur thought that this had to be one of the best Mondays in his life.

Alfred set the box down next to the wine bottle. He had restrained himself and only eaten four pieces. He knew for sure that if Mathew found it, he’d eat all the yucky ones, then all the good ones. Knowing him, Matt would probably sit in his room with a bowl of maple syrup, dipping in each piece before eating it up. The thought caused Alfred to let out a laugh.

Arthur looked back at Alfred. He pushed some of the things out of the way between them and scooted closer. Now was his time to be the one to start something. Alfred had planned this whole trip and needed to be rewarded somehow. Arthur laid back, grabbing onto Alfred’s arm and tugging lightly on his way down. Alfred looked back, getting the hint.

Both blonds laid next to each other, staring up at the sky that matched Alfred’s eyes. A few clouds sailed by, but none of them covered the hot sun. Alfred gathered his courage and turned on his side. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Alfred’s cheek. He pulled back and looked up at the sky once again.

“Thank you, Alfred. For everything. You’re a better person than I first expected you to be. I’m happy I chose you, that you chose me.”

Alfred let his head fall to face Arthur. He stared at the man who was smiling softly. He was nice, so nice and sweet and totally ravishable. But Alfred didn’t think that now was the time for those kinds of thoughts. Arthur was thanking him, was happy with how he was. Someone cared for him other than his brother. It was blissful, this new relationship.

“You shouldn’t thank me. I was just being me. No matter how crazy or weird I am, I’m happy that you like me. I really like you too.” Damn. Now he just sounded like a love struck school girl. Even though, in a way, he was one. Well, acting like one.

But it seemed Arthur liked him acting all cute, because he put on this smile, bigger than Alfred had ever seen him wear before. He rolled onto his side again and they stared at each other.

“Thank you for loving me,” Arthur whispered out, reaching out a hand to pet Alfred’s sunny hair. It was so peaceful, he wished this day wouldn’t end.

_When did I get so caring? Is it because of Alfred?_

A bird chirped loudly a couple times from somewhere close by, but Arthur didn’t even notice it.

He was too busy falling in love.


	12. Chapter 12

After all the wine, cheese, and most of the chocolate was gone, it was around seven. The sun was lower in the sky, turning the thin clouds pink and orange. As Alfred packed up the picnic things Arthur stared out over the darkening landscape. He had a great time with Alfred. It was nice to just sit and relax.

“Come on, Arthur, everything is packed! Let’s go home.”

Arthur turned to see Alfred waving him over, already halfway to the car. He jogged after him, enjoying the cold breeze that blew past his face.

Alfred waited until Arthur fished out the keys and popped the truck. Arthur got inside while Alfred put the things in. Arthur buckled his seat-belt as Alfred slid into the driver’s seat next to him. He shoved in the keys, turned them, and they were off.

* * *

It was just after seven thirty when Alfred dropped Arthur off at his house. Before Arthur could get out of the car, Alfred made sure to give his boyfriend a sloppy kiss that Arthur appreciated, but didn’t think was necessary.

“See you tomorrow, Arthur!”

Arthur rolled his eyes, but smiled as he got out of the car. He noticed that Alfred wasn’t driving off, and stopped when he was on the porch of his house.

“Alfred, what are you doing?” he called.

The blond in the car had rolled the window down the moment Arthur had gotten out. He grinned and gave a thumbs up.

“Making sure no one tries to abduct you! I know I said you look like an old man, but from this far away you look like a teenager! Haha!”

Arthur once again rolled his eyes and flipped his boyfriend the bird.

“You are… I don’t even know what to call you. Just something. You’re something, Alfred Jones.”

Alfred put his hands back on the steering wheel.

“Yep, I’m something all right.”

He drove off, leaving Arthur alone. Arthur unlocked his house and went inside. There was twenty minutes to get ready for work, plenty of time.

* * *

This couldn’t be right.

Arthur had the right address and everything. There was no sign though, that was gone. He walked up to the windows and cupped his hands, looking through them.

The chair was gone.

Nothing. There was nothing. Arthur stepped back, extremely confused. He then saw a single piece of paper on the door. Arthur pulled it off and read it.

To Arthur:

I’m assuming you got this. Sorry for not being able to tell you sooner, but us leaving was sort of last minute. We will most likely not be returning to this area of Britain any time soon. It was nice doing business with you! Hope everything goes well for you and Alfred! Don’t forget to thank Francis~ Goodbye, Arthur.

-P.S. Sorry again, now you don’t have a job *frowny face* (Feliciano & Ludwig)

As soon as Arthur was finished reading, the note caught on fire from, well, nothing, and Arthur dropped it, startled. It became engulfed with bright blue flames until it was completely burned. On the ground a swirl of ash was left. A wisp of wind cured that though as the ashes were scattered.

This was…really…

Arthur sighed and brought his hands up to his face, rubbing his eyes. He didn’t know what to think. It was a little sudden that they would just…leave. But then again the whole thing was strange and pretty shady. Maybe they got busted because that drug was illegal? Though the whole piece of paper bursting into flames thing was a little too weird to be normal.

He shook it off, a little happy that the shop was gone. It’s not like he would have used that drug again, since he had Alfred. Still, a little piece of him left with that shop.

Arthur turned around and headed back to his house. But first he needed to get some coffee. Maybe he’d sit and read the paper for a little while too.

* * *

Mathew knew this guy. Hadn’t he blown him before? Ah, that was it. He knew he looked familiar. It was that French guy who gave him the wine. The man was out in front of his quaint little café, sweeping away some of the dirt that had gathered. He was humming a tune but Mathew didn’t recognize it.

He had decided to go out and get something to eat since he knew Alfred wouldn’t be back until later. It was rare that he would actually go out and get something. He didn’t care much for fast food, but he had a sudden craving for some KFC, which would be satisfied.

Mathew slowed to a stop in front of the café, staring at the man under the light of a street lamp. The man stopped sweeping and looked up.

“Bonjour chérie. Can I help you?”

Coming out of his stupor, Mathew shook his head.

“Not really. I’ve just…seen you before.”

The man smiled warmly and set his broom against the side of the building, coming over to Mathew.

“Well of course you’ve seen me. You’ve been to this café, haven’t you?”

Mathew blushed then nodded. What a stupid thing for him to say! Couldn’t he think of anything a little more…smart? The man saw the way Mathew hung his head and lifted his hand, bringing it up under Matt’s chin. He raised it, looking at those familiar violet eyes.

“Now that I think about it…didn’t I give something to you? Out of gratification of course.”

That caused Mathew’s face to flame even worse. He gently moved his chin out of the man’s hand and backed up a step.

“Yes…But I don’t do those kind of things anymore. Sorry if you umm…wanted that again…”

The man smiled. What a cutie.

“Well that’s good. Would you like to come in? I can get you a cup of coffee or anything else you’d like?”

Mathew blinked. This guy was…pretty nice. He tilted his lips upwards.

“Thank you for offering, but I was just on my way to get something to eat. Maybe another time?”

This man wasn’t going down without a fight though. He took Mathew’s hand in his own and pulled him towards his shop.

“One cup won’t hurt. I’ll even listen to any problems that you feel like sharing. You can tell me why you have that sad look in yours eyes. I’m very interested.”

Mathew let himself be pulled into the café. This guy…cared? Someone actually wanted to listen to him?

“Well okay, but just one cup.”

But Mathew knew he’d stay for more.

* * *

_Two months later_

After a few months of getting to know each other, Alfred knew he was ready. Yea, that sounded like he had been saving up until this moment, but he hadn’t really. It just…sort of happened.

Arthur had been over. Mathew was at Francis’s house because the two of them had a date. Alfred and Arthur didn’t like the idea of Francis going out with Matt, but it seemed that the other man really liked Francis so they reluctantly let him go. Alfred was surprised that his threats didn’t put the French guy off in the least. He must have heard it all before.

They were sitting in the living room, watching whatever movie Arthur had brought over. Alfred really couldn’t remember, but all he knew was that it was something only the Brits would find funny. Still, he put up with it, because that’s what you do for your boyfriend.

Alfred figured they had seen over half the movie and pulled the move on Arthur. He had watched ‘Cheaper by the Dozen’ enough times to know how it was done. His right hand slid smoothly down Arthur’s arm and he felt the man shiver lightly. Alfred dragged his hand back up slowly, head turned to watch as Arthur bit his lip.

The hand gripped Arthur’s shoulder while Alfred’s other hand came up and rested on Arthur’s cheek, pushing it until the older man looked at him. Alfred grinned, eyes holding a glint of something that was indescribable. Arthur didn’t know if he should give in or not. They had been messing around for a couple months now and he felt pretty comfortable with Alfred. Arthur opened his mouth to say that yes, if they wanted to do it, it would be okay, but Alfred moved his hands and pushed Arthur down on the couch, spreading him out.

Arthur’s shirt was pulled up and he let out a low groan when Alfred eagerly rubbed his hands over his chest, paying close attention to his nipples. He stopped for a second to climb up and sit on top of Arthur’s legs, then bent his head, flicking his tongue roughly over the tight flesh. The man under him thrust his hips up, making Alfred bite down gently on the bud in his mouth.

“Shit, Alfred, enough already. You know they’re sensitive.”

Alfred sat up and grinned. He took off his glasses and set them on the table.

“I know. That’s why I do it.”

Arthur huffed out a breath but moaned when Alfred bent his head again and licked a long trail from between his pecs up, stopping at the juncture between shoulder and neck. He nipped at the straining muscle, causing Arthur to shudder. Alfred closed his lips over the soft skin and sucked until there was a mark. Arthur would probably hit him for that later.

But right now the man under him wasn’t thinking about later. Arthur grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled, letting Alfred help him get it off. Since it was such a great idea, Alfred also took off his. Arthur stared up, loving how much bigger the man on top of him was. He couldn’t resist reaching up and smoothing his hands over the hard muscles.

Alfred let Arthur splay his hands over his body until he felt his pants get somewhat tighter. He took Arthur’s wandering hands into one of his own and lifted them above the man’s head, pinning them to the couch. Alfred lowered his head, pressing his lips to Arthur’s, coaxing him to join. Arthur did, pushing back with equal enthusiasm. It wasn’t long before Alfred forcefully invaded his tongue, tangling it with Arthur's and he felt a moan rumble through his captive’s chest into his own mouth. Alfred pulled back, allowing them both to breathe for a minute.

He moved down, planting kisses and nips every few inches. Arthur arched up again, letting out a little whine. Alfred was taking his time and he appreciated that, but he was getting unbearably hot. He didn’t know when he had closed his eyes but they opened when he felt a hand on the button of his pants.

Alfred slipped the plastic circle through the denim hole and pulled the zip down slowly, smirking at the sound. He looked up and saw Arthur watching him, eyes hazy and cheeks flushed. That was a good look on him. A very good look.

The jeans came off easily, Alfred having to slid back so he was off of them. He pulled until it popped past two socked feet and landed on the floor. Alfred stared at Arthur’s feet, wondering if he should take his socks off. It would be…a little kinky to leave them on. Alfred was going to take off Arthur’s briefs next but when he looked down, they were gone. Huh, how had he missed that? It didn’t matter though, just one less thing to remove.

Arthur bit down on his bottom lip as Alfred grabbed his cock and started rubbing with soft, maddening strokes. He bucked his hips, trying to get that hand to go harder, but Alfred ignored his silent plea and suddenly let go. Arthur growled and was about to voice his opinion when Alfred stood up and hurried off somewhere.

Ah…what? That bastard better not be getting scared now!

Arthur was about to go see where his boyfriend went off to when the other returned, a familiar tube in hand. Arthur wanted to laugh at his stupidity, but stretched back out on the couch, wiggling his hips a little, watching as Alfred practically drooled.

Alfred knelt down on the couch, picking up Arthur’s legs and telling him to hold them. Arthur did, sliding the backs of his knees into the crooks of his elbows, hands locking around his wrists. Alfred stared heatedly at the sight, loving the way Arthur did what he said. He snapped the cap off the lubricant and squeezed a handful out. He set down the container and rubbed his hands together, heating the gel up.

Emerald eyes watched him closely, biting back a moan as a well slicked finger pushed at his entrance carefully before slipping in relatively easy. Arthur relaxed his body, having done this dozens of times. He held onto his legs tight as Alfred slipped in another.

This time something bigger was going to go in, and it wasn’t from some one night stand. It was from Alfred, someone who Arthur trusted completely and loved with all his heart. It made everything hotter.

Finally that slow torture of stretching was deemed good enough and Alfred took out his fingers. He hooked his thumbs into his pants and boxers, then slid them down, not bothering to take them off. He left them at his knees and took a hold of his cock, rubbing in whatever leftover lube was still on his hands.

Arthur watched impatiently, panting open mouthed at the way Alfred stared so strongly at him. Then he felt a nudge at his hole and he let out a harsh breath. Alfred stopped though, that pressure driving Arthur slowly mad.

“Ready, Ar-”

“Just put it in! I’ve been waiting too long already.”

Alfred shut his mouth and gave a jerk of his head. He pushed in, trying to go slow but that heat sucked him right in and he pumped his hips a couple times, causing Arthur to let out a high pitched moan and a mumble of something that sounded suspiciously like ‘finally’.

But then Alfred stopped and took hold of Arthur’s hands, bringing them up to his back as he leaned forward, forcing Arthur to spread his legs and slip them up over Alfred’s shoulders. Thank god he was so flexible. Arthur held on tight, hands slipping down when Alfred started to move again. It was a rough ride, just the way Arthur liked it.

“Is this good?” Alfred panted out, smothering his lips over anywhere he could reach, which was mostly Arthur’s face. The man he was fucking just moaned, moving his hips as best he could. Alfred took that as a yes.

They were smashed tightly together so Alfred could only hump his hips in small thrusts, but he made sure to keep them fast. He wasn’t being too hard with Arthur, and the man seemed to be liking it so far. Alfred felt socked heels dig into his lower back and he groaned, biting down on Arthur’s bottom lip and pulling at it a couple times.

That was what probably set Arthur off, because on the next thrust he was coming hard, his sandwiched cock absorbing the friction from Alfred’s stomach and making release that much sweeter. Alfred felt Arthur tighten considerably more and let himself go.

Alfred put the rest of his weight on Arthur, causing the other to be squeezed of breath. He pushed at Alfred until the American moved over to his side, sliding between the couch and boyfriend. They laid in silence, catching their breath. It was broken when Alfred let out a light laugh, bright eyes rounding on Arthur.

“Who knew you were so good?”

Arthur’s face, which was just going back to the normal pale, instantly brightened. He slapped Alfred’s head a couple times before Alfred fought his hand away.

“You git. I didn’t do anything. You were the one doing me. Now shut up and take off my socks that you left on. My feet are roasting.”

Alfred snickered and pulled off each sock, hearing Arthur sigh in relief. Alfred looked at the TV, noticing that it was back to the main menu screen. Darn, they had missed the ending.

“Oh yea! I forgot to tell you! Tomorrow night Francis is having a party at his place. Wanna go? Everyone is gonna be there!” Alfred suddenly yelled, breaking Arthur’s pleasurable afterglow haze.

“Well…if you want. Doesn’t matter to me. Although you do know that when Francis says ‘everyone will be there’, he really does mean everyone. He’s fucked so many people over the last few years, they are all bound to show up if he has a social event.”

Alfred laughed at that, wrapping an arm around Arthur’s waist and pressing a kiss to his temple.

“Love you, Artie.”

“That’s doesn’t apply to what I just said, but I love you too.”

He’d let the nickname slid, for now. He was extremely comfortable and didn’t want to move. Arthur stared at the glowing screen of the television, feeling his eyes get heavy. He let them slip shut, giving Alfred a whispered goodnight.

Alfred smiled as he watched Arthur fall asleep. This was nice, falling asleep next to each other on his couch in his home. Arthur was such an amazing person to him, he never wanted to let him go.

“Night, Arthur.”

* * *

Mathew turned around when he heard his brother’s voice, the cup in his hand slopping yellow liquid down the side.

“Hey, Alfie! Glad you could make it.”

Alfred grinned at Mathew, giving him a pat on the back.

“Wouldn’t miss it! So, who’s all here?”

Arthur, who was trailing behind Alfred, surveyed the crowd. He spotted Gilbert first. The man was talking loudly and had an arm around Roderick. Poor guy.

“Oh you know, everyone. Francis knows a hell of a lot of people.”

Matt and Alfred laughed together and Arthur offered a smile. Mathew was definitely on his way to becoming wasted, and Alfred most likely wanted to join him. Alfred suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled Arthur over to where a huge bonfire was giving off waves of heat. He picked out two empty chairs and pushed Arthur down onto one while he sat on the other. Over here they could hear the music. It was some type of rock song that Gilbert was now air-guitaring to.

Arthur watched as everyone socialized. He was surprised Alfred wasn’t over with everyone else, striking up a conversation. One of his hands was still firmly held by Alfred though, and Arthur squeezed down. A second later there was a press back. They sat back in the chairs, letting the heat wash over them. It was a cool night, so the warm fire felt good. Arthur could have sat like this forever, but then a song came on that Alfred knew (it was something from the American 80’s) and he was pulled up excitedly. Alfred led them to the dancing crowd and spun Arthur to him. Arthur thought what the hell and bounced with the music, his and Alfred’s eyes staying locked in place.

He never thought it would be like this. Then again, the world works in mysterious ways. There was a lot of things that Arthur still wanted to tell Alfred, and he knew he’d get the chance sometime in the near future. Oh yea, there was one more thing.

Arthur scanned the crowd of moving bodies until he seen the blond he was looking for.

“Francis!” he yelled as loud as he could, and the man looked at him. This was his chance. He had to at least tell the man how grateful he was, even if it was just two words.

“Thank you!”

Francis gave him a thumbs up, grinning like mad, and Arthur knew that it was enough. Arthur pressed up against Alfred, and lost himself to the music.


End file.
